How to Be a Heartbreaker
by ASiriusObsession
Summary: It's Katie Prewett's last year at Hogwarts and the boy she's been in love with since fourth year is finally single. The only problem? Relationships never seem to work for Katie, and boys like Eddie Bones don't fall for girls like her. At least not until Sirius Black steps in and offers to teach her what it takes to be a real heartbreaker. What could possibly go wrong? Sirius/OC
1. Chapter 1: The Times They Are A Changin'

**Hello all! Typical disclaimer, I only own Katie's character. The rest of the cast belongs to J.K. Rowling**

I will be creating a playlist to accompany this story so there will be one to two songs per chapter as I continue to publish. Think of them as inspiration for the chapter. This story in general was somewhat inspired by the movie He's Just Not That Into You but with a more serious element, the Wizarding War, added in and of course all of J.K. Rowling's magic. Enjoy.

 **Track 1** : The Times They Are A -Changin' by Bob Dylan

 _There's a battle outside_  
 _And it is ragin'._  
 _It'll soon shake your windows_  
 _And rattle your walls_  
 _For the times they are a-changin'._

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **September 1st, 1977 - The Times They Are A-Changin'**

It was the first time in seven years that it wasn't raining when Katie Prewett got on the Hogwarts Express. Under normal circumstances, the sun would have been the perfect cherry on top of her last year at Hogwarts, the cheery send off she'd always wanted but never had. But some things, she reasoned, just weren't meant to be. And her mood today wanted rain rather than rays from the sun.

It wasn't that she wasn't excited for term to begin. It was simply that it was the first time she'd ever made the trip without a quick goodbye squeeze from her mother and an intolerably cheesy joke from her father. More than a year after their passing, the grief still sometimes felt like a raw, open wound. She had promised herself that she wouldn't mope, wouldn't feel sorry for herself. But it was harder to remember that as she watched her classmates laugh, embrace, and wave goodbye to their families with the confidence that they would be there when they returned.

And it wasn't like she was alone. Her cousin Molly had been cousin, sister, and mother the last year and she would always be grateful for that. Still, the whole getting on the train process was harder than she'd anticipated. What she needed was a quiet compartment with her best mate and her favorite copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander always had a way of soothing her soul.

Determined to do just that, Katie levitated her trunk and began walking backward down the train towards their typical compartment. It was early still, so there were only a few people on the train and she was just starting to wonder who she'd run into first when the compartment she was passing slapped open and two people toppled out and into her trunk, sending it crashing into the window and nearly onto her toes.

"What the bloody hell is _wrong_ with you!?" Katie exploded as the pair untangled themselves with a lot of giggling. It quickly became apparent that the door and her trunk had been the innocent victims of an in-progress snog. She opened her mouth to rage some more when to her mortified surprise Eddie Bones, the dishy and delicious, looked up at her with a heart stopping grin.

"Sorry," he chuckled and used her trunk to haul himself back to his feet. "You'd think those doors would be sturdier."

"Well I _told_ you not to push me up against the door," the girl that had fallen beneath him was rubbing her bum and looking up at him in annoyance. Katie's stomach dropped. It was Mary MacDonald, a fellow seventh year Gryffindor. Someone Katie knew all too well would share all the juicy details of her newest relationship to anyone who would listen including her fellow roommate who had had a crush on him since third year and was now staring at him awkwardly as he helped Mary to her feet.

"Well I wasn't really thinking too hard Mar," he replied playfully and they both laughed at the shared joke. He turned that smile on Katie again and she felt her stomach do a little flip. "Hope your trunk is okay."

"What?" she asked before her brain had fully processed the question. "My trunk?"

"Your trunk," Eddie repeated with a small frown and gestured at the silver edged trunk lying on it's side. "It hit the wall pretty hard. Hope we didn't do any damage."

"Oh right," Katie blurted out and felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. "It's fine. I'm fine. You're fine, I mean, wait you're not fine. That is, I mean you are but I don't mean-"

"Merlin, Katie are you alright?" Blessedly interrupting her uncomfortable stammering, Katie's best mate Alice Nott stuck her head out of the compartment two doors down. "I heard the crash and thought something hit the train."

"Er, right. Well, hope everything's okay. See you around, Prewett," Eddie gave her a nod and followed Mary's insistent tugging on his arm back into the compartment.

Before the door slapped closed behind them she heard Mary hiss, "I swear she's mental."

Katie let out her breath in a huff and scowled at the door. Handled that one like a champ, Prewett, she thought grumpily and flicked her wand at her trunk in annoyance. In response her trunk jumped into the air and nearly ran her down as she stomped into the compartment where Alice was waiting. Thankfully, the only other people inside were their two closest friends and roommates, Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon.

"What was that about?" Alice asked, noting the fading red in her friend's cheeks and the distinctly ominous clouds in her eyes. "Usually running into Eddie has a lovely effect on you."

"Yes well, not when he has his tongue down Mary MacDonald's throat," she grumbled and flipped open the top of her trunk in annoyance to find her book and let what she was sure was a truly disgruntled and battered cat out of her cage. Large yellow eyes, in a pitch black face regarded her in annoyance and she popped the door of the cage open with a sigh, "Sorry about the crash landing, Luna. Some toerag was too busy with his tongue down Mary's throat to watch what he was leaning on."

As was her custom, Luna seemed to understand and rubbed affectionately against her hand before waltzing importantly over to Lily and Marlene in greeting. After six years sharing the Gryffindor Tower with the inky, black cat, both girls automatically scratched her while they chatted.

"Frank said he'd heard Eddie Bones was dating again," Alice sympathized and snorted. "Bloke has the worst taste in witches."

"I don't think she even _likes_ Bones," Marlene scoffed, catching the topic of conversation and rolling her eyes. "I heard her telling Lyssa just this morning before they got on the train that her mother always told her to marry rich and everyone knows the Bones' are swimming in nearly as much gold as the Potters or Malfoys. Isn't Eddie in for a nice surprise?"

Katie groaned, hugging her book to her chest and propping her chin on it, "I don't want to hear it. I'm officially swearing off Eddie Bones this year. Maybe even men altogether."

"Oh come off it," Lily laughed and gave Luna another scratch as she climbed in her lap to look out the window as the train started moving. "If James and I can get together, you and Eddie certainly have a chance. You've just got to convince the bloke."

"Right," Katie sighed. "Just like I've managed to convince every other one that's come along."

All three girls gave her a sympathetic look. It wasn't that she hadn't had her fair share of boyfriends in her years at Hogwarts, the time just never seemed right...or maybe it was just her that wasn't right. Either she was too clingy or too distant, too invested or not enough, once she'd even been told she was really pretty but too smart. No matter what she did it always seemed like she was trying to fit this mold that no one ended up wanting anyway. It was exhausting. The last boy, Charlie Vance, had seemed sweet and said all the right right things but when her parents had died he hadn't been able to cope with her fear, her sadness, and he'd backed out pretty quick. All in all, she couldn't say relationships were her strong suit.

"Anyway," Katie continued, wanting to change the subject. "Maybe I'm better off. A boy that pretty is bound to be an egomaniac, right?"

"Oh absolutely," Lily agreed and rolled her eyes thinking about James Potter and all the growing up he had done before she really saw who he could be. "Doesn't mean he can't change though."

Alice raised a single, unconvinced brow, "Generally speaking, those traits tend to run pretty deep. James is still an egomaniac despite some of his better qualities."

Knowing she was the only single one in the room, Katie stayed quiet and let her friends argue about who's boyfriend had the bigger ego. She didn't mind because it distracted them from feeling sorry for her. She certainly didn't feel sorry for herself. Especially after Charlie, she had decided that maybe boys were better left off the table until after graduation. She'd have plenty to keep her occupied in any case between her research with Professor Sprout and hands on work with Professor Kettleburn's more dangerous creatures this term. She definitely didn't need the distraction and especially not from a boy who was unlikely to stick around anyway.

"I couldn't believe it when Dumbledore wrote to us. Apparently this Order is actively taking students after graduation, those who want to join the war efforts," Katie caught the tail end of Lily's statement and looked up intrigued.

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Katie replied curiously. Her cousin Molly and her husband Arthur were active members but Molly had been adamant about keeping it a secret. Apparently times were getting a lot worse than anyone had imagined. "Why are they recruiting students?"

"Graduates," Lily corrected but frowned slightly. "I believe it will be in addition to and dependent on whatever positions we decide to take after graduation. Dumbledore asked that James and I only speak of it to people we trusted. I figured you three were my first choice. Most of us are bound for Auror Training and Katie your research and healing skills were top of the list. They don't have many capable healers right now."

"Wow," Marlene breathed. "Stepping onto the front lines. This isn't just news anymore."

"It's been very real for a while now the bloody Ministry's just been keeping it quiet," Katie said angrily and Marlene suddenly went pale when she realized what she'd said.

"Oh Katie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that your parents were just news," Katie could see Marlene get slightly teary eyed and felt bad for snapping at her. It wasn't their fault that her parents' murder was still a fresh, mostly unhealed scar. And it absolutely wasn't their fault that her parents had been hunted down like animals and slaughtered for being blood traitors. It was just difficult to begin healing when she constantly had to remind people that the war was real, that _death_ was real.

"So what? Does Dumbledore want a commitment or something?" Alice asked sliding her arm through Katie's in a gesture that was supportive and comforting.

Lily nodded, "After Christmas hols. James suggested you ask Frank too, Alice."

"He'd agree," Alice said at once. "He's fairly itching to get out of school and fight. We'll both join."

The conversation continued towards other deaths and other attacks over the summer and so Katie tuned it out. Instead, she watched the green of Scotland's hills race by against a bright blue sky for a moment and then opened her battered copy of Fantastic Beasts to run a finger over the inscription inside the cover as she'd done so many times in the last year.

 _To our little animal lover. With love, Mum and Dad_

Just under the inscription Newt Scamander himself had signed it.

It was strange to think that this time last year she'd had two parents, a home, a family. She, like everyone else, had believed that what some had started calling a war was just a small group of extremists that the Ministry would put down eventually. They'd been wrong and her parents had been two of the many that had paid the price. Yes, she thought. Who needed to worry about a stupid boy when they were preparing to fight a war?

* * *

Katie often thought that things didn't change overmuch at Hogwarts, year to year. By second year, people had mostly found their best mate or group of mates, they sat in the same places at their House table, studied with the same people, and sat together in class. That's why she was finding it extremely odd to have James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew squeezed into the small section of the table that she, Alice, Lily, and Marlene had always shared. James and Lily, it seemed, had gotten serious enough over the summer that even Sirius had resigned himself to accepting Lily as part of his group. Unfortunately this also meant they were going to hear an awful lot about Quidditch.

"James Potter, I've already told you I'm not coming out for the team again this year," Marlene insisted and shoved another forkful of potato into her mouth in annoyance.

James lifted a skeptical brow, "Marley. I'm not enjoying this joke anymore."

"Who's joking, then?" Marlene exclaimed and accidentally flung potato at Lily when she punctuated her words with her fork. "Sorry Lil. Aidan Belby is a bloody wanker and I won't play with him. I won't."

"He's the ruddy seeker!" James exclaimed. "It's not like you have to actually run drills with him. You don't even have to bloody speak to him. Please, I'm not a man who begs but I will get on my knees right here. I can't be Head Boy and Quidditch Captain without a Head Chaser. I'm not a magician."

"No, just a wizard," Sirius replied dryly and shared an amused look with Remus.

"Shut it," James growled and turned back to Marlene resigned. "Alright, woman. Name your price."

Marlene ate another forkful of potato, paused, and considered, "You do my Transfiguration homework for three weeks and I expect a house elf in my dormitory every single morning with hot chocolate."

"Done," James began but Marlene held up a finger and he groaned.

"And lastly," Marlene replied and couldn't help the grin. "You will not schedule practice on Saturdays before 10am. Are we clear?"

James made of a show of looking annoyed and drawing it out but finally huffed out a breath, "Fine. Done. Tryouts are tomorrow at 4 o'clock, I expect you to be there."

"As you wish," she replied sweetly and dug into her pumpkin pie.

"If you two are quite finished," Alice said lightly and looked knowingly at Katie. "We also need to discuss the planning of the start of term party since it's finally our turn this year. We've had some thoughts."

"Finally someone who's got their priorities straight," Sirius exclaimed and sent them both a devilish smile. "Do tell ladies."

"Cover your ears, Lily," Katie grinned but Lily just rolled her eyes. The start of term party in the seventh year boy's dormitory was a tradition and one that most Prefects, Heads, and Professors turned a blind eye to. "Think Astronomy Tower."

Marlene snorted, "No one needs encouragement to snog."

"No, no," Alice insisted. "We want to charm the ceiling and the walls. Make it feel like you're surround by a starry night. It's a charm we've been doing for years. We'll have low lights, a cool breeze, hot music. It'll be ace and totally sexy."

"On to something there," Remus mused and wiggled his eyebrows at Sirius. "Make it a firewhiskey night? Sirius makes a mean Dragon Whiskey."

"What in Merlin's name is Dragon Whiskey?" Lily asked and looked as though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"It's really something you've got to see," Sirius promised her with a smirk and suggestive wink. "I'll give you a demonstration later if you're lucky."

"I mean is it safe? I really don't think-"

"Stop worrying your pretty little head," James soothed and ran a hand through her hair. "We won't let anyone get hurt. And speaking of being responsible, we have a meeting with McGonagall so let's reschedule this little chat. Saturday night. Common room. After Quidditch tryouts. Good for everyone?"

Everyone nodded their agreement and James and Lily left to go find McGonagall.

"They're good for each other," Alice sighed with a dreamy sort of look as they walked away. "It's like they both smooth out each other's rough spots."

Sirius snorted, "Rough spots? What a load of rubbish."

"It's romantic," Alice insisted. "They balance each other out. When was the last time you saw someone calm Lily down when she was on the verge of being a stick in the mud? That was seriously impressive."

Sirius didn't look convinced, "You shouldn't have to change who you are to be with someone."

"Padfoot," Remus replied softly and gave him a warning look. Sirius just shrugged and started stabbing his steak a little more aggressively.

Katie exchanged a speculating look with Alice and wondered. Maybe Sirius wasn't okay with the change in routine after all.

* * *

Sirius's dark mood stayed with him after dinner and up to the Tower, leaving him brooding in his four poster while he could all but feel Remus' disapproval from the next bed over. He didn't bloody care. His best mate was becoming a shadow of his former self and it seriously pissed him off.

"I thought you'd moved past all this," Remus said quietly. He glanced quickly at Peter who was already snoring lightly across the room. "I thought you were fine with Lily?"

"It's not bloody Lily," Sirius snapped and let out a breath through his nose when Remus only shook his head. "Alright, fine. Quit your whinging. It's partly about Lily but it's also about James and his need to be a goddamn knight in shining armor. It's nauseating."

"It's not like he shut _us_ down tonight," Remus argued. "I think Alice is right. He's definitely rubbed off on her. She never would have let something like that slide a year ago."

"She's a fucking spoil sport," Sirius said flatly. "Nothing will change that. And I respect that about her. At least she's consistent. Prongs has changed Moony, admit it."

Remus sighed, "Well of course he has. You moved out this summer. Purebloods are being slaughtered. His parents are out in the middle of the bloody mess. Maybe he's finally got his head on straight."

"Or maybe he's just trying to impress Evans," Sirius retorted. "So damned worried about being everyone's pet. Her, Dumbledore, his father. Where's his self respect? I moved out this summer mostly because I couldn't stand him mooning over her. It's downright embarrassing."

"He's loved her since the day he met her," Remus replied. Simply, with belief. He wasn't sure how Sirius, of all people, couldn't see that. Couldn't understand that James had been heading towards Lily since their first train ride to Hogwarts. Just as Sirius believed it made James blind, Remus too could see how love for a person made you blind - even if it was the love of a brother.

Sirius glanced up, his fury quickly turning to guilt when he not only saw understanding on Remus' face, but pity. He didn't want anyone's pity for the things that had happened in his life and he knew he was being unnecessarily hard on James but he couldn't help it. James had been more like a brother to him, more family to him than anyone he was related to by blood and he felt like he was losing him.

He sighed, "You're right. But it still doesn't change the fact that he's a complete ponce these days."

Remus grinned, "No, it doesn't. But take satisfaction in the fact that he is also corrupting poor Lily quite a bit. Maybe you can finish the job with a few Dragon Whiskeys next weekend."

Sirius grinned at the thought, "You always know just how to cheer me up, mate. How do you feel about pudding in Prongs' bed, this evening? I can have a house elf here in ten minutes."

"Banana pudding would be the most effective, I think," Remus replied and was happy to see Sirius jump to his feet, his internal struggle over James forgotten for the moment.

* * *

My hope is to update weekly! See you real soon.

\- A Sirius Obsession


	2. Chapter 2: Strange Magic

Well, my hopes for weekly updates have been squashed in the face of school deadlines and working way more than I'd like but here's Chapter Two - Strange Magic! Thank you for the lovely reviews on the first chapter and I hope this one doesn't disappoint. As the holidays get closer and the semester ends, I will likely have more time on my hands to write, edit, and update. Wish me luck!

 **How to Be a Heartbreaker Soundtrack**

 **Track 2** : Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra

 _You know I got a strange magic._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **September 2nd, 1977 - Strange Magic**

Despite it being after lunchtime when Katie left the castle the next day, Hogwarts and it's inhabitants were still getting a sleepy start when she made her way across the grounds to join Professor Kettleburn near the greenhouses. She'd received his note at the Welcome Feast asking her to meet him just before one o'clock and his excitement had been evident even on paper. A truly wonderful surprise, he'd promised. Considering the man had lived with dragons in Romania and raised doxies for fun, Katie imagined whatever new creature he'd acquired was sure to be special.

When she rounded the corner behind Greenhouse 4, Kettleburn was already waiting for her and nearly dancing with anticipation in front of the barn.

As a man in his fifties, it was easy to see that at some point he had been handsome. But after years of field work with dangerous creatures he'd since transformed from ruggedly handsome to mostly just rugged. Still, Katie thought, when his eyes lit up with excitement over some rare creature or new discovery she could sometimes see the young man that he'd been.

"Ah, Katie! Right on time, right on time," he gave her hand an enthusiastic shake and slapped her affectionately on the back. "Knew you would be. How was your summer, then?"

He turned and led her into the warm darkness of the barn. Katie smiled, knowing his interest was genuine, "It was uneventful, to be honest. But all things considered, I'm not complaining."

In the months after her parents' murder, Kettleburn had been a quiet but steady support at school. When she hadn't been able to face anyone else, he'd given her the solitude of his barn and kept her mind busy with creatures and potions and research. He'd never pushed her and never asked for more than she was willing to give. In hindsight, she thought it was likely that he'd experienced a similar grief in his own life because he had always seemed to know exactly how to handle her moods.

He glanced back at her with a small smile, "I'm glad to hear it, Katie. Now, let me show you how I spent my summer."

He stopped in front of what could loosely be called a horse stall except that the door to the stall was barred with heavy iron bars and a shimmering protection spell hung in the air around it. He looked down with a gleeful grin and following his lead Katie discovered two juvenile hippogriffs curled up together, fast asleep.

"Where in the world did you find Hippogriffs? They're beautiful!" she exclaimed and stared in fascination. Hippogriffs weren't extremely rare but due to the laws around both their capture and taming them, seeing them in captivity was less than common.

The two hatchlings were beautiful, all silky feathers and fuzzy bodies and currently only the size of newborn horses. One was coal black and the other was a golden brown so light he almost appeared gold. Even as juveniles, Katie saw that their beaks came to a threatening point and tucked beneath their bodies she could just make out the lethal talons on their front paws. Why was it that the more beautiful a magical creature was the more dangerous it tended to be?

"I am hoping to breed them," Kettleburn informed her proudly, beaming down at them like a proud father. "I was visiting my brother in France this summer when we found the herd's nesting ground. Poachers had killed or taken most of the herd but these two little ones managed to survive. I convinced the French Ministry to let me take them back to Hogwarts for educational purposes. Aren't they wonderful?"

"Just stunning, sir. Have you given them names yet?" she asked and stood on her tiptoes to get a better look into the stall.

"The girl is Artemis, and boy is Apollo," he replied and reached down by his feet to grab a bucket full of chopped, raw meat. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Do Bowtruckles live in a tree?" she asked excitedly and Kettleburn chuckled appreciatively.

"They are still fairly gentle but cautious," he warned. "So you must have patience. Apollo is more likely to trust you."

Swapping the bucket into his left hand, he waved his wand to release the protection spell. When he started sliding the iron bars off the door, Artemis lifted her fuzzy black head and eyed Katie with bright blue, suspicious eyes.

"Here now, here now," Kettleburn soothed. "Katie's only here to feed you." He reached over and let Artemis see the chunks of meat he placed in Katie's waiting hand and moved to the side. Sensing the other creature's interest, Apollo also raised a sleepy head and catching the scent of meat let out an excited squawk. Both of them scrambled to their feet but it was only Apollo who took a few cautious steps forward.

"Now," Kettleburn said softly. "Give him a bow and wait for his in return. Be sure to keep eye contact. Don't blink."

Keeping her eyes up, Katie offered the meat and bowed low. Artemis shook her head anxiously but Apollo almost immediately bent one of his front legs in a bow.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Kettleburn exclaimed. "Throw him a piece of meat and we'll slip this collar and lead over his head."

Katie tossed a piece of meat into the air and watched Apollo snatch it enthusiastically from the air. He chomped it down and, with what she could only describe as the playfulness of a puppy, came straight at her to bump his head affectionately against her hip. Laughing, she threw a few more pieces into the air for him and was surprised when he sat patiently munching on them while Kettleburn slipped a collar over his head and handed her the lead.

"Why don't you let him stretch his wings while I coax this lovely girl from her stall," Kettleburn suggested. "He's used to flying with the lead on. He won't try to get away from you. I'll be out in a moment."

Katie nodded, still somewhat in awe. With a gentle tug, Apollo fell into a trot next to her and willingly followed her out behind the barn where she could see the large circle Kettleburn had been walking each day while the babies got their exercise. Used to the routine, Apollo immediately took flight when she stepped onto the well worn path and swooped and glided silently above her head as she walked.

He was really magnificent to watch, she mused. She'd read about them in books, of course, and even seen one from a distance during a demonstration at the Magical Creature Exhibit she'd attended in New York as a child. But none of it compared to being up close and personal to the real thing. She could see now why people tried to tame them. They were incredible.

They had just finished a second loop around the circle when voices floated down the hill from the castle. Apollo lifted his head in curiousity but didn't seem interested in anything other than keeping an eye on the source of the noise so Katie kept up her pace around the circle. It was likely just students heading down to the pitch to watch the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts anyway, and they would have no reason to head towards the barn or greenhouses.

"Hey! Is that a Hippogriff?" someone shouted as if purposely contradicting her thoughts.

" _Why_ is this school full of idiots?" Katie groaned and an answering shout went up. It quickly became obvious some of the students were, in fact, heading towards the barns. Figuring it was better to be safe than sorry, she gave a gentle tug on Apollo's lead to head back but, before she'd taken more than a step, two students came barreling around the corner at the same time Kettleburn was leading Artemis out the back door.

Startled, and immediately terrified, Artemis reared back and jumped into the air over Kettleburn's head whipping him around so fast that he lost hold of her lead and fell hard to his knees. With a screech, the ebony Hippogriff flew straight up and, to Katie's horror, headed directly toward the Quidditch pitch.

"Quick, we've got to warn them," Kettleburn shouted at her, climbing painfully back to his feet. "She'll be attracted to the broomsticks in the air. Go! Get to the field as fast as you can."

She could already see the poor thing panicking, swooping down to circle and then flying straight back into the air towards the stands. She'd never be able to get there fast enough, Katie thought desperately.

Nevertheless, she sprinted towards Kettleburn to hand off Apollo's lead and then shoved past the students that had stopped to stare as she took off towards the Quidditch pitch. With fear hammering in her heart and a certainty that either the creature or a student was going to get hurt, she prayed desperately that James Potter and his team were good enough on their brooms to outfly a terrified Hippogriff.

* * *

A bludger went whizzing past Marlene McKinnon's ear with a shrill whistle and had her cursing prettily over her shoulder as she nearly dropped the Quaffle.

"Bloody hell, Black! Do your job already!" Marlene shouted over her shoulder. Turning back, she feinted past James' defense, pulled back her arm, and sent the Quaffle neatly through the closest goal post.

"That'a girl!" James shouted and slapped her hand with his midair. "Those poor sods trying for Keeper today don't stand a chance."

Marlene grinned, "You don't have to sweet talk me, Potter. I'm already here, aren't I? Just make sure you get your Beaters in line. I'm not taking a Bludger to the nose again."

"Well maybe if you didn't fly straight _at_ the Bludger next time I could actually do my _job_ ," Sirius flew up to hover next to them in front of the goal posts and gave Marlene an exasperated look.

"I didn't fly at the Bludger, you git," Marlene snapped. "It's that arse, Belby, sending them straight at my face. Some lovely Captain decided it was a _brill_ idea to give my ex-boyfriend a bat today."

"Oh come off it, Marley," James rolled his eyes. "He wasn't purposely trying to take you out. It's how the game works and I told you I was more than clear with him about this rubbish between you two."

"Yes, but he's not a Beater and you _know_ he hates me-"

"Would you two shut up for a second?" Sirius suddenly was looking curiously out over the pitch towards the greenhouses. "Am I mental or does that thing flying towards us look way too big to be a bird?"

James and Marlene both turned to look over their shoulders. James frowned, "If that's a bird, then I'm a troll. What the hell is it?"

"No idea, but I think we should get out of the air," Sirius replied suddenly uneasy. "I've got a bad feeling."

"I think," Marley began and squinted a bit. "I think it's a Hippogriff."

"You're barmy, the both of you," James disagreed but was starting to look concerned. "Why would there by a Hippogriff flying around the grounds?"

"Mate," Sirius tried again. If it was a Hippogriff and it caught them in midair they were in trouble. "Let's not find out the hard way. We should get back on the ground. Now."

"Dear Merlin," Marlene breathed as the creature got closer. "That's really a Hippogriff. It's heading straight for the pitch."

"It's seen us," James said and watched the creature angle towards them. "Let's go!"

He turned to shout a warning to the rest of the team, "Everybody on the ground now!"

Brooms across the field stopped and turned but the looks of curiosity quickly became panic as the creature's black shadow sailed over the top of the stands and let out an angry screech. It circled once before diving directly toward James, Sirius, and Marlene.

"Go!" James bellowed and they each tucked the nose of their brooms down towards the ground just as Katie burst onto the field.

"You've got to get everyone off the field, James," Katie gasped trying to catch her breath as they landed next to her..

"What the hell is a Hippogriff doing flying around the grounds?" Sirius demanded. "Is it another one of Kettleburn's barmy pet projects?"

Offended, Katie opened her mouth to inform Sirius that none of Kettleburn's work was simply a 'pet project', but Artemis chose that moment to swoop down on them and all she could yell was, "Duck!"

All four of them hit the ground and they heard others screaming and run to take cover.

"Well?" James looked at Katie in irritation. "Aren't you, like, Newt Scamander's biggest fan or something? How do we stop a rampaging Hippogriff?"

"I don't know!" Katie exclaimed angrily as she got back to her feet. While it was true Newt Scamander was an expert whose mother had bred the creatures, Katie hadn't studied Scamander's works extensively enough to know what, if anything, could calm one down. She looked around at them defensively, "It's not like I deal with them on a daily basis, for Merlin's sake! And she isn't rampaging, she's afraid. She's just a baby. We have to corner her somehow so I can knock her out without harming her."

"Right," Sirius muttered sarcastically. "Let's not hurt the incredibly lethal, wild animal. She's only a baby after all."

"Shut it, you," Marlene snapped and turned back to Katie. "Tell us what to do."

"Um," Katie sat up and watched Artemis soar up and then loop back around. "If we can surround her and trap her under one of the canopies I might be able to get a clear shot and she won't have far to fall."

"How are you on a broom?" James replied skeptically, ducking as Artemis made another pass over their heads.

"We don't have time to find her a bloody broom," Sirius said flatly. "She can fly with me. James, you're the best flyer here. See if you can head it off. Marlene and I will hang back and try to follow your lead, just pick a canopy and once she's under I'll get Prewett in close enough to knock it out

"We're going to have to get really close," Katie informed him. She watched anxiously as Artemis nearly flew back out of the pitch again. They had to hurry before she got away and headed toward the castle. "They're fairly resistant to magic. It'll need to be a pretty short range hit to knock her out completely."

"Get on," he replied shortly.

Katie scowled. He was acting as though _she_ had done something wrong. It wasn't like she and Kettleburn had purposely let the damn beast off its leash. Feeling irritated and defensive, she silently threw her leg over the broom behind Sirius as James kicked off the ground and flew directly into Artemis' path. Sirius looked over his shoulder once more, "Ready?"

Katie gave a jerky nod of her head and they pushed off the ground with Marlene just as Artemis screeched at James and headed directly for them.

"Get behind her!" Katie shouted leaning around Sirius to get a better view. "I'll try to make enough noise to frighten her towards James."

"Head toward the blue canopy," James pointed and Sirius and Marlene nodded and came up underneath the Hippogriff.

"It's working," James yelled and put on a fresh burst of speed to corner Artemis between himself and the seats under the blue canopy. "Get ready!"

Sirius instinctively leaned into his broom and came up on other side. He glanced back briefly at Katie, "If you have a shot, take it. She's going to hurt herself anyway if we don't get her down."

Katie nodded, biting her bottom lip, "Get as close as you can."

To her surprise, he took her at her word and immediately followed Artemis under the canopy at the exact moment the Hippogriff realized she was trapped.

"Do it!" James exclaimed.

Katie whipped out her wand and exclaimed, "Stupefy!"

The spell hit it's mark and, like a wounded bird, Artemis instantly folded her wings and crashed into one of the poles holding the canopy up. With a loud crack, it split in two and suddenly the canopy and supports were falling down around them.

"Hold on!" Sirius shouted over the crashing wood.

Katie didn't have to be told twice. All sense of irritation gone, she threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his back as he just managed to maneuver under a falling support beam and out of harm's way.

"Merlin, I thought you two were goners," Marlene breathed as she and James followed Sirius and Katie to the ground. By this time, a large group of students and teachers had gathered in the center of the pitch.

"Katie!" Kettleburn's anxious voice reached her from the crowd and he quickly detached himself from the crowd as Sirius touched down on the grass. "Is she alright? Did she make it? Did she harm anyone?"

"Everyone's fine," Katie assured him and glanced up at the demolished canopy. "She might be injured but she's alive."

"I've got to get up there. Quickly," he replied and looked around a bit crazed for a spare broom.

"Silvanus! What has happened?" Professor McGonagall fought her way through the growing crowd of students approaching with a stern look on her face. "Is a student hurt?"

"No, no, Minerva," Kettleburn assured her. "It's only one of my new Hippogriffs."

McGonagall looked suspiciously at Sirius and James, "Did someone set it loose?"

"Oh no, Professor. It was my fault for not warning off the students headed toward the barn," Katie interjected and remembered Sirius' crack about Kettleburn's pet projects. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to start thinking Kettleburn was just a hair short of barmy. "They surprised us, you see. And Artemis was frightened."

"I see," McGonagall muttered and shot one more suspicious glance at the boys standing behind her. "Miss Prewett, you are bleeding. And so is Mr. Black. You should both head to the infirmary while I help Professor Kettleburn here. I will be with you both shortly to sort out what happened."

She turned back to Kettleburn in a clear act of dismissal, "Now what must be done, Silvanus?"

Katie took a deep breath as she took stock of the cuts and bruise on her arms. She was still shaking slightly from adrenaline and realized that she hadn't even felt the wood splinters that had caused them.

"You'd better go," Marlene said touching Katie's arm gently. "McGonagall isn't happy, as it is."

Katie nodded and turned around catching sight of Sirius for the first time since they'd landed. His right eye was starting to swell and was already an ugly shade of purple, there was a cut on his forehead, and his arm was bleeding through his practice uniform.

Katie winced and felt slivers of guilt slide into her chest.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius replied crisply when he saw her flinch. "Let's just go before McGonagall decides this was somehow my fault. C'mon."

Without waiting for her to reply, he turned and strode off the pitch toward the castle. Torn between wanting to support Kettleburn and doing as McGonagall had asked, she finally gave up and jogged after Sirius.

As she fell into step beside him, she again looked guiltily at his injuries. She hated seeing anything hurt, especially when it was her own fault. She bit her lip, wanting to soothe his hurts and her conscience, but the scowl on his face told her it was probably better left alone.

"Um," she began looking for something to fill the silence. Despite his obvious lack of enthusiasm for Kettleburn's work, he had not hesitated to help her and she was grateful. "Thank you for what you did. You were brilliant."

"I'd say anytime," he replied and glanced darkly at her. "But I'd rather not repeat the performance."

"I'm sorry," she apologized and tucked her long brown hair nervously behind her ear realizing suddenly that she'd never been alone with Sirius Black before. Somehow the thought did nothing to ease her anxiety. "Erm, does your eye hurt much?"

"I've had worse," Sirius replied with a shrug but was plainly annoyed by it. "Pomfrey won't be pleased to see me before term has even started."

Katie frowned. She couldn't imagine Madame Pomfrey as anything but sweet, "Why?"

"Let's just say I had one too many mysterious injuries last term," he turned his head to actually look at her as they entered the castle and saw her look of concern. "Don't worry. She won't shout at me for too long."

"That's terrible!" Katie exclaimed before catching the flash of the grin on his face. She started to berate him for being an arse but stopped short as he winced in pain.

"Been awhile since I've had a black eye," he admitted and touched it gingerly as they started to climb the staircase up to the third floor.

Now completely swamped with guilt, Katie couldn't help it and she placed a hand on his arm to make him pause. She cleared her throat, "Um, just wait a minute okay? If I show you something will you promise not to tell anyone about it?"

She didn't often share her gift with people, and had, in fact, been instructed not to share it with anyone since the War had begun. Having particularly strong magic these days apparently came with a death sentence, or worse.

He raised a suggestive eyebrow, "Can't say I'm in good enough shape for anything too exciting at the moment, love, but I'll admit you've got me curious."

She made a face, "Merlin, does that sort of thing actually work with girls?"

"I can be charming when I want to be," he chuckled but sighed when she only looked annoyed. "Alright fine, Prewett. I'm assuming it's going to make you stop blaming yourself for this, so what is it then?"

"Close your eyes," she replied and looked quickly around the corridor to make sure they were alone.

"I thought you were only going to _show_ me something," he teased but did as she asked.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the distance between them and placed gentle fingers around his swollen eye. "Keep your eyes closed," she whispered when he flinched. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's what they all say," he muttered.

She ignored him and, concentrating on the feel of his skin under her fingertips, she closed her own eyes and began imagining a cooling sensation making it's way down her arms and into her fingers. The buzz of magic quickly filled her chest and with a gentle push, her magic released and she actually felt the coolness come off her fingertips to be replaced by a warmer sensation that meant the skin under her hands was healing. When she opened her eyes again, Sirius' eye was no longer swollen shut and the bruising had receded considerably. It was also open and staring at her intently.

"Thanks," he said quietly and the look he gave her made her insides feel uncomfortably warm.

She quickly dropped her hands from his face and turned away to continue up the corridor again hoping it would calm the butterflies in her stomach. She should have known it would be awkward with someone like him, she thought miserably as he came up behind her. And he wasn't likely to just let it go.

"Wandless magic is pretty advanced stuff," he noted, catching up to her with long, easy strides. He watched her with a disconcerting intensity. "How did you learn to do that?"

Katie shrugged. It was always troublesome to explain her gift, "I didn't. I've always known."

He frowned, clearly skeptical, "No one is born knowing wandless magic."

"It's not just the magic," she corrected and took a deep breath. "It's the healing. I've always been able to heal people, living things. It even works on plants."

"No shit?" he replied and looked, Katie thought, genuinely impressed. She imagined that was something Sirius Black wasn't very often. Impressed.

She shrugged off the small feeling of pride, "I've been doing it all my life. It's nothing really."

Coming from anyone else, Sirius would have considered that last comment a bit arrogant but he could see from her face that it was actually just a fact of life for her. Then he noticed the bruise.

"Hey," he said and grabbed her arm to stop her as they approached the Hospital Wing finally. "You didn't have that bruise near your eye before, did you? What does this healing trick cost you?"

Surprised at his perceptiveness, Katie's eyes widened, "How do you know it cost me anything?"

"Damn it," he looked genuinely angry for the first time since she'd ran on the field that afternoon. "Do you have to take some of the injury into you? Is that how it works?"

She nodded, "It is."

His face only darkened, "You should have told me first."

"It's not a big deal," she muttered, embarrassed, and pulled her arm from his grip. "It's my fault you're hurt and I could help. Plus, I heal fast. Really it's fine."

Sirius only stared at her. It was rare that anyone surprised him these days. In fact, he had learned to set his expectations low enough that people usually bored him most of the time. But she had surprised him and that was not only rare but...interesting. He'd always known Katie Prewett was a little different but, being from a Pureblood family, he'd also expected her to have some of the carelessness and lack of empathy that so many of his Pureblood classmates wore like badges of honor. A badge he'd worn himself until recently.

But she was clearly different. And embarrassed, he thought with some amusement.

He could see from the stiff way she held her shoulders that she was expecting more questions, was used to the prodding that came with sharing her secret. And despite the fact that he didn't feel much for anyone these days, he was uncomfortably aware that something inside him very much wanted to make her feel better. Never mind that _that_ simple fact had the opposite effect on him.

"Well thank you," he finally replied and she relaxed slightly. "But next time, don't."

Katie frowned, sensing discomfort under his nonchalant dismissal and quick change in mood. She wondered if it had something to do with wounding his pride. She hadn't expected Sirius to be the classic male hero type - i.e. boy saves girl, not the other way around - but he seemed bothered by the fact that she'd tried to help.

"And keep a leash on those animals," he added shortly as he paused just outside the Hospital Wing.

Her temper flared, his pride be damned. He was a right git.

"Maybe you should keep a leash on those animals trying out for the Quidditch team! They were the ones carelessly running up on a defenseless Hippogriff," she snapped and glared hotly at him.

"Oh they're beasts too. No arguments there," he smirked coolly and glanced toward the door of the infirmary. "Anyway, send Pomfrey my love, will you?"

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Katie simply stared, "What, you're not coming in? But McGonagall-"

"Knows where to find me," he replied with a shrug, the smirk lifting the left side of his lips again. "I'll take my chances. Don't let Pomfrey bully you, now."

And just like that, he turned on his heel and strode away to leave Katie staring after him completely baffled. Sirius Black, she decided, was completely and totally mental.

* * *

Walking away from Katie Prewett, Sirius wasn't entirely sure what had made him poke at her temper and then run like a coward. He only knew that he was feeling distinctly unsettled and didn't appreciate being indebted to someone for something he hadn't asked for. He also didn't enjoy the feeling of wanting to soothe the hurt he'd seen in her eyes.

Grumbling under his breath, he knew he would have to do something about it.

The blasted sense of loyalty James Potter had ingrained in him since first year could be incredibly annoying in that way. His conscience wouldn't rest until he'd done something he felt made up for the pain she'd physically taken from him. And more than that, something about her pulled at him and whether he liked it or not. He would have to put a stop to that. Women, in Sirius' mind, weren't meant to stick in your brain and when they did there was usually a cure for it.

Considering the wounded, almost haunted look in her eyes he imagined it was only a general sympathy he felt for her recent loss, having known the loss of family himself. But just in case, he'd find a way to call it even between them and leave it all behind. He wasn't a romantic like James. He knew that females only made things complicated.

But as he climbed the staircase to the Tower, he was still thinking about the cool, gentle feel of her fingers on his face and warm brown eyes that tried too hard not to be sad.

* * *

By the time Katie collapsed onto her four poster later that night, she was exhausted and dreading the actual start of classes on Monday. If the Hippogriff, Sirius, and McGonagall's interrogation earlier were any indication of what the rest of term was going to be like, seventh year was going to be a doozy.

"What's with you?" Alice asked curiously as she started changing into her pajamas. "You were awfully quiet when we were planning the party tonight."

"Nothing," Katie lied and didn't look up as Alice walked over to her bed. "Just tired."

"Hmmm," she replied and raised an eyebrow. "Tired and a liar. What's going on, Prew. Spill it."

Katie groaned, "Too tired. Can't."

"Budge up," Alice replied and plopped down on the bed next to her. "Is it about the thing with Kettleburn this afternoon? McGonagall said you weren't in trouble and everyone was talking about how brilliant you and Sirius were at dinner tonight. So everything's fine, right?"

Katie nodded silently but when she didn't offer up another explanation for her mood, Alice decided to give her a little push.

"Sirius was a bit off tonight, too. Any particular reason he was so keen on avoiding you?"

"Er," Katie mumbled staring up at the canopy above her bed. "Well I sort of showed him my healing thing today. And he got a bit wonky about it."

"You healed him?"

"I couldn't help it," she moaned and threw an arm over his face. "You know how I get. He helped me catch the Hippogriff and then he got hurt. I couldn't just let him be in pain."

Alice laughed, 'Alright, calm down. I'm sure it's nothing. This is Sirius Black we're talking about, after all. The man's a bit daft."

"Understatement of the century," Katie replied and remembered how quickly his moods had changed. And more than once. "The thing is he didn't react like everyone always does. You know, the whole 'Ooo, show me more!' reaction like I'm a bloody circus act. He got all moody and uncomfortable, like he was angry with me for healing him."

"Well that's ridiculous," Alice protested and waved her hand through the air. "So he wasn't impressed and his male ego was a bit bruised. Sounds fairly typical."

"But didn't you see him down in the Common Room tonight?" Katie demanded. "It was like he was watching me the whole time but I could never catch him. But I could _feel_ it. It was, I dunno, unsettling?"

In fact, the only time he'd actually met her eyes the whole night was when James had decided he would be the one to help her and Alice move furniture and decorate the boys' dorm for the party. And he definitely hadn't been pleased about it.

"You're being paranoid, Katie," Alice said with a sigh but knew from the wrinkle between her best friend's brows that it was something that was going to continue to bother her. She never could stand someone being cross with her. "But if you're that worried about it - ask him."

"Are you mad?" Katie huffed. "You should have heard him today at the Hospital Wing. All arrogant and smirking. Like, thanks for the heal mate but I'd rather just be in pain. I'm sure he won't respond well to my wondering about his being moody and being upset that he doesn't like me."

"Ah, and the truth comes out!" Alice exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew you were worried he hated you."

"What? Of course I'm not! That wasn't what I meant at all," she argued, instantly regretting her choice of words. "I simply meant that he won't appreciate my bothering him just to satisfy my conscience. We tried that today, remember? And it's the reason he's angry to begin with."

"Mhmm, whatever you say Protesting Polly," Alice replied and hopped off the bed to head to her own. "But you're going to have to talk to him eventually and I know you. You'll poke and prod until you feel like you've fixed everything."

Alice turned her bedside lamp off with a snap, ignoring the dark scowl from the other bed, "Goodnight."

It was a curse and a blessing to have a best mate that knew you so well, Katie admitted to herself as she changed into her own pajamas and got under the covers. Because ultimately Alice was right. If Sirius was genuinely mad at her, it would sit like a fire in her brain until she'd fixed it. Unfortunately, fixing it would mean being alone with him again and she wasn't quite sure she could handle his mental mood swings. Maybe if she let it lie for a few days she'd get over it, she mused doubtfully. And maybe the Giant Squid in the lake would learn to tap dance.

Whatever the case, she only had to get through the party and she could happily avoid him the rest of term. It was only two weeks. She could handle two weeks.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. Preview for the future: Katie gets some one on one time with Eddie Bones (her current crush), Sirius finds a way to make things even between him and Katie, and somehow they keep ending up alone together! It's a mad world out there for a seventeen year old witch...

Thanks for reading!

ASiriusObsession


	3. Chapter 3: Clumsy

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K.'s characters. The only one that belongs to me is Katie.**

Hi all! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and all of the follows! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. This chapter is definitely going to get a lot more interesting. So enjoy and let me know how you like it. Check out below for Track 3 in the How to Be a Heartbreaker Playlist 3

 **Track 3** : Clumsy by Fergie

 _The first time that I saw your eyes_

 _Boy, you looked right through me_

 _Play it cool, but I knew you knew_

 _That cupid hit me_

* * *

 **Chapter Three - Clumsy**

 **September 6th, 1977**

The daily stampede of late-to-class students was already in full swing as Katie and Alice made their way down to the dungeons for their first N.E.W.T. level Potions class. Whether it was the terrified bundles of wide-eyed first years or the newest couple of randy fourth years having a snog, the staircase was dangerous at the best of times but especially so when one was running late.

"I _knew_ you were going to make me late," Katie moaned to Alice and side stepped a tiny, confused first year who had simply stopped dead in the middle of the staircase like a child lost in the forest. "I don't see why you and Frank can't grab a waffle together on the way to class instead of spending an hour giggling over each other at breakfast. We're going to be in so much trouble."

"Oh relax," Alice rolled her eyes. "Slughorn would never dream of putting you in detention."

"Detention?" Katie asked bewildered and scowled at her best mate. "I'm referring to the fact that we won't be able to get seats together now. Slughorn always hands out the first project based on seat assignments and now we're going to get the bottom of the bag."

"We won't be the only ones late. Beside, Lily always saves us seats," Alice reasoned just as they rounded the corner to Dungeon 12. "It's not like we'll get paired with Snape."

"We could do much, _much_ worse," Katie assured her as they hurried into Dungeon 12 and she glanced hesitantly around the room. As predicted, the room was full and Lily had _not_ saved them seats. The first empty seat she spotted was next to a seventh year Ravenclaw who was quiet but decently talented at Potions and she relaxed a bit. At least she would be dependable. The second empty seat, however, was next to an all too familiar sandy blonde head.

Perhaps the universe just hated her today, Katie mused, because _of course_ Eddie Bones would be sitting by himself.

"Merlin and Agrippa," she groaned.

Alice grinned, "I'll just take the seat next to Miranda, shall I?" And without giving Katie a chance to respond, she hopped over to the Ravenclaw's table asking, "Is this seat taken?"

Katie stood for a moment and indulged herself in sending imaginary daggers at Alice's back. As much as she loved her, there were times she wondered if she might be better off without a best mate. Like, for example, when said best mate abandoned her, forcing her to sit next to and ultimately get paired for a project with the boy she'd had a crush on for years. A boy that she had firmly decided not to waste any more time mooning over.

Cursing her luck and meddling mates, she reluctantly made her way over to Eddie's table.

"Er, hi," she said quickly when he looked up at the sound of her footsteps. He had a hopeful look on his face that disappeared almost immediately when he saw it was only her. How encouraging. "Is someone sitting here?"

Eddied frowned at the stool next to him but shook his head, "Help yourself."

"Thanks," she murmured and climbed onto the seat just as Slughorn took his place at the front of the classroom. She glanced sideways at Eddie. He didn't seem any more pleased by their situation than she did.

"Quiet down now, quiet down," Slughorn began. "As I'm sure you're all aware, I will be assigning the first project of term today. I hope you have chosen your seatmates wisely as they have now become your partner for the next few weeks. Please take out your books and begin looking through the Concealment Potions. These will be an important classification for those of you looking to work undercover for the Ministry when you leave Hogwarts."

He looked around meaningfully as excited whispers broke out, "Choose a potion with your partner and let me know by the end of class the name of the potion and what day and time you plan to meet outside of class. Please keep in mind that Potions taking longer than three weeks to brew will not be allowed."

He waved a hand in dismissal and the class immediately broke into excited chatter again. To Katie's surprise, Eddie turned and gave her a charming smile. "Any good at Potions?" he asked.

Katie felt her cheeks get pink, "I'm decent, I suppose. I've made it this far so I must be doing something right."

"Well that's good," he replied and she noticed he seemed slightly dejected. "I'm rubbish. I only passed last year because I was dating Ella Brown, you know that girl from Ravenclaw? She's ace at Potions. We were always studying."

Katie raised her brows slightly. She remembered Ella, of course. Eddie and Ella had been notorious for their library snogging most of the last term and their break up had been explosive. They'd nearly sent Madam Pince to the infirmary from stroke when one of their fights erupted in the library. Katie was positive not a lot of studying had actually been done, but if he was as bad as he claimed they must have done more than their snogging habits suggested.

"Well hopefully I can live up to her, erm, reputation," Katie replied lightly but Eddie didn't seem worried.

He gave her another absent smile, "So what are Concealment Potions?"

"Well," Katie replied, patiently opening her book and only momentarily wondering how he had passed the exams to get into this class without knowing his Potion classifications. "They are potions that allow the user to conceal part of their appearance or personality. They can be very simple or very complex but they're dead useful for Aurors and Ministry Agents."

"Right, right," Eddie replied and nodded as he seemed to recall learning that. "Like the Polyjuice Potion, right?"

"Exactly," Katie replied, slightly relieved that he wasn't as thick as she first thought. "Though that one takes longer than three weeks so we won't be able to use that one."

Eddied nodded in acknowledgement and began scanning the pages in her book. She sincerely hoped that he wasn't going to choose the easiest of the bunch. Despite his good looks and her maddening crush on him, she did have a reputation to maintain and she knew for a fact that Slughorn gave better grades for harder projects.

"What about this one?" he asked.

"The Volubilis Potion?" she asked in surprise. She'd been hoping he'd choose something challenging and he hadn't disappointed. Meant to alter or restore the human voice, it was a multi-step, detail driven potion that required multiple sessions. She'd have been lying if she said she wasn't thoroughly pleased. "I'm game, if you are. It's fairly complicated though."

"I trust you," he answered and gave her a friendly nudge with his elbow.

Katie felt the blush start to creep into her cheeks again and quickly stood up in the hopes of distracting her body. "Great!" she said brightly. "What days work best for you? I don't want to get in the way of Quidditch or your time with Mary."

"Oh no worries there," he scoffed and his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance.

"You're not playing Quidditch this year?" Katie replied and started to apologize when he interrupted.

"Of course I am. I'm the Captain. It's Mary. We broke up yesterday," he informed her and she had to mentally force herself not to clap her hands in childish glee. Eddie Bones was single and had no choice but to spend one on one time with her for nearly three weeks? It seemed too good to be true.

"Oh I'm so sorry Eddie. Are you okay?" she gushed and ignored the annoying voice in her head that reminded her she had sworn off men this year - this one in particular.

"I will be," he assured her and glanced down at her warmly. "You're sweet, Prewett. How come we've never hung out?"

Too good to be true, the little voice whispered in her ear again. But she promptly squashed it.

"Oh you know, it's a big school. I'm sure we both just spend a lot of time with people in our own houses." She knew it wasn't true in his case but she didn't want to remind him that she'd been practically invisible to him most of their seven years under the same castle roof. Don't tempt the universe when it's handing out candy, Prewett, she thought.

"Well we have no choice now, eh?" he laughed not knowing his words mirrored her thoughts and pulled his Quidditch schedule from his rucksack. "When should we get started?"

She glanced through his schedule and saw his Thursday evenings were free, "Will Thursdays work?"

"Sounds good to me," he answered and grinned mischievously at her. "I was worried you were going to pick a Friday or something. Can't let school ruin our weekend, you know?"

"Of course not," Katie agreed eagerly. No need to tell him that she often spent her weekends in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout or working with Kettleburn's creatures.

He glanced down at his watch, "So are we good here? If I leave now I'll have just enough time to grab a bite before practice starts."

"Oh! Oh yes, of course. Everything's settled," Katie assured him and he started gathering his things. "I'll just let Slughorn know our plans. He usually gives me pick of the best dungeons for projects."

"You're the best. See you around?"

"Definitely," she nodded and he took off without a backwards glance. When he was gone, she sighed and felt her cheeks finally start to cool off. Damn that boy and his ridiculous good looks. She could barely think when he smiled at her let alone stay true to her no-boys-this-term rule. She was in big trouble, she thought as she stood and headed up to give Slughorn their chosen assignment with her stomach still full of butterflies. Big, big trouble.

* * *

Sirius listened to the exchange between Katie and Eddie with growing disgust. What was it with birds and Eddie Bones? Didn't they know he was a slimy git? At the moment, he was putting on a bloody show for Prewett and she was just eating it up.

Not much of a poker face on her, he mused and shook his head.

"Sirius," Marlene McKinnon repeated his name for the third time. "Hello? Have you chosen a potion yet?"

"What?" he replied and blinked, looking at her absently. "Sure. How about…..that one."

"The Shrinking Solution? Black, you're bonkers."

"Why?" he replied with a shrug and scanned it. It would be difficult but nothing they couldn't handle. He'd received nearly perfect marks on his sixth year Potions examination. He wasn't worried. "Pick something easier if you want but Slughorn only gives recommendations to students who impress him. I thought you wanted to be an Auror."

Marlene scowled and studied the potion again, "Yes, alright fine. We'll work on the Shrinking-"

"Marley, explain something to me will you?" he interrupted her, scowling at Eddie and Katie again. She had just started gushing over Eddie's recent breakup. "What the hell is so damn interesting about Eddie Bones?"

Marlene followed his gaze and rolled her eyes when she spotted Katie practically fawning over the boy in question, "Nothing in particular, I assure you. That one just happens to have been madly in love with him since third year despite her efforts to deny otherwise."

"She's never going to land him," Sirius replied. He'd already seen Eddie recognize Katie's starry eyes and immediately take advantage of it. For Merlin's sake, he'd told the girl he was bloody rubbish at Potions and she'd still let him pick a particularly difficult Potion. Eddie would get a good grade and a recommendation from Slughorn and Katie would do all the work. Obvious. Sirius scowled again, "Can't she see he's using her?"

Marlene raised a curious eyebrow, "And you care because?"

"I don't," he assured her and shook his head as he turned away from them. "Just don't understand how a girl that smart can be so bloody blind."

Not one to shy away from the truth, Marlene snorted in laughter, "That's an awful lot coming from you, Sirius. Aren't you the king of love 'em and leave 'em?"

Sirius smirked, "There's a great difference between enjoying the ladies and being a manipulative prat, love. At least I offer a proper snog as part of the deal. Bones will only shine it on until he gets what he wants. He won't commit to anything, not even an easy snog."

Marlene made a face, "Leave it to you to have a twisted morality attached to your womanizing ways."

She shook her head and glanced at Katie again just as Eddie sauntered out of the dungeon, "If you're so offended by his methods maybe you should warn her."

"It's not so much offense as it is distaste for his methods," he corrected but a thought had started taking shape in his head at Marlene's suggestion. Not to warn her, no. But it might be the perfect opportunity to square things with her, get rid of the nagging sense of guilt over what she had done for him that day after the Hippogriff debacle. If Katie Prewett wanted a date with Eddie Bones so bad, who was he to judge? But to pull it off she was going to need a considerable amount of help and he highly doubted there was anyone more qualified for the job than himself.

"Where are you going?" Marlene demanded as he suddenly stood up. "We haven't picked a day to work on our project."

He waved her off, "Just pick an evening we don't have Quidditch practice. I'll make it work."

Katie had just started to make her way back to her table and, leaving behind a fuming Marlene, he timed his arrival just as she started putting her books and parchment back into her rucksack.

"You know," he began casually. "Eddie Bones will never go for a girl like you."

Her head whipped up and, if looks could kill, Sirius was positive he'd have been dead on the spot. Good, he thought. Got her attention.

"And how do you know that?" she demanded coolly. Honestly, the nerve on this one, she thought in annoyance. Had he been spying on her the whole class? Listening to her conversation with Eddie?

"Let's just say I have experience in these matters," he told her and watched in amusement as she fought her temper with an impressive amount of self control. He wasn't sure why he enjoyed getting her riled up but her spark of temper was oddly refreshing. Yes, he imagined it would be quite satisfying to teach her how to chew up Eddie Bones and spit him out.

"And why," Katie ground out between her teeth, "do you even care?"

"I owe you one," he replied simply, surprising her enough that her temper cooled slightly.

She frowned at him, "So you decided insulting me was the best way to pay me back?"

"I'm not insulting you, Prewett," Sirius sighed in exasperation. "I'm trying to _help_ you. Eddie Bones will never respect a girl who goes all goo-goo eyed every time he walks in the room. He'll only use you to get what he wants and move onto the next girl with hearts in her eyes."

"I do _not_ get goo-goo eyes," she replied hotly. "And what do you know about it, anyway? Every girl that gets within ten feet of you nearly trips over herself if you so much as look at her. Aren't you just like him?"

"Hardly," he replied patiently and raised a single eyebrow. "Do you want to date the bloke or not?"

"I don't see why it's any of your business," Katie insisted. She should have known this thing with Eddie was too good to be true. Now it had drawn unwanted attention from Sirius Black and that was certain to be a bad sign.

"Fine," Sirius shrugged. "If you don't want to hook him, it's no skin off my nose. But don't say I didn't warn you. This was a one-time offer."

He watched intently as the gears started turning in her head and wondered if she knew how unbelievably transparent her face was. He imagined she didn't because he saw the grudging acceptance on her face before she ever opened her mouth. He started to turn away but she didn't need more convincing.

"Alright, just wait a minute," she said quickly and he looked back at her as she started chewing on her bottom lip. She couldn't deny that her track record was awful. Clearly, she was rubbish at relationships and she certainly hadn't been successful thus far in getting Eddie to notice her. Did she really need help? Did she want help? Maybe she should just take it as a sign that she and Eddie weren't meant to be. But then again, Eddie seemed to have been dumped into her lap at a perfectly opportune moment and that was hard to ignore. She glanced at Sirius - and what did he get out of all this? It was hard to imagine he'd go to the trouble to help her woo a boy he hated just because she'd healed a black eye.

Still, she thought. It couldn't hurt to hear what he had to say, could it?

"What exactly did you have in mind?" she said with more confidence than she was feeling.

He gave her slow, lazy smile, "I can teach you."

"Teach me what?" she replied suspiciously.

"How to drive him mad," Sirius said and his eyes narrowed intently. "Blokes like Eddie, they like a girl they can chase. The fun is in the kill. He won't stick around if he doesn't have to try."

Katie raised her eyebrows in an expression that clearly showed she wasn't impressed with Sirius' analysis. The fun is in the kill? Honestly. He made it seem like it was a bloody sport. Not exactly what a girl trying to create a lasting relationship wants to hear. But the temptation of Eddie outweighed her better judgement.

"And you can teach me how to do that?" she responded dryly and tilted her head as she considered. "Isn't this like trade secrets or something? Aren't you breaking some male code?"

"If he was my mate, yes. But he's not," Sirius assured her and grinned. "So is that a yes?"

Katie pursed her lips, still unconvinced, "What do you get out of it?"

"I told you already," he picked up one of her quills and twirled it between his fingers. "I owe you a favor. I happen to be particularly good at this sort of thing."

And an arrogant toerag, she thought and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head and snatched the quill from his hand. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to take tips from a womanizing madman on how to land a date."

Sirius could see he was losing her interest and thought quickly.

"A bet then," he replied and couldn't help the grin. He did enjoy a good bet. "I bet I can teach you how to get a date with Eddie Bones by the first Hogsmeade trip."

"And if you can't?"

She couldn't help it. She was intrigued despite the warning bells going off in her head.

He paused for a moment considering, "If I can't. I'll have breakfast in the Great Hall. Naked."

Katie's jaw dropped, "You're not serious."

"I am," he replied and stuck his hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

Katie stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. Every nerve in her body screaming that this was dangerous. Sirius Black didn't do things like this, let alone out of the goodness of his heart. Was he just bored? Was she some sort of twisted entertainment for him? There had to be some catch but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it might be. And really, what was the worst that could happen? Eddie wouldn't ask her out and she might finally get over him. Right?

Bugger it. She took Sirius's hand, "Deal."

"Are you free tomorrow evening? Around 8?" he kept her hand in his.

She nodded, "Yes."

"Perfect," he replied and brought her fingers to his lips with a ridiculous wink. "Meet me in the library. We'll get started then. Wear something sexy."

* * *

 **The next morning...**

 **September 7th, 1977**

The next morning Katie stumbled into Greenhouse 5 with her hair stuffed into a bun on top of her head and her eyes still half closed in sleep. Almost as soon as Sirius had walked out of the dungeon the previous afternoon, she'd begun to doubt her decision. She had laid awake half the night with visions of Sirius exposing her poor relationship abilities to the whole school or teaming up with Eddie to make a fool of her. As a result, she hadn't slept more than a few hours and only just woke up with enough time to throw on her uniform, brush her teeth, and stumble across the grounds to Herbology.

"Merlin, Katie. Rough night?" Lily asked as she joined her, Marlene, and Alice at a table. Professor Sprout had already set the assignment for the day and the girls had just started harvesting and rolling gillyweed from the aquarium on the table.

Katie scrubbed her hands over her face, "Just didn't sleep well. First week jitters, I guess."

Alice frowned and waved a piece of gillyweed at her, "Since when do you get the jitters about class?"

"Better jitters than that awful wailing coming from Mary's bed last night," Marlene grumbled and rolled her gillyweed aggressively enough that it started to tear. "Bollocks, I hate this stuff. Anyway, you'd think _he_ broke up with her from the way she went on about it last night."

"Eddie and Mary broke up?" Alice asked and sent a sideways look at Katie. "Do tell."

Lily rolled her eyes, "It happened at dinner Tuesday night. She caught him staring at Ella Brown, his ex, you know? To be fair she did lose a lot of weight this summer and she looks amazing. But Mary got jealous, accused him of not being over her and broke up with him on the spot. He honestly didn't seem too put out by it if you ask me. Maybe that's why Mary's so worked up about it."

"It's more likely she just wants the attention," Katie replied grumpily. "I can't figure what blokes see in her."

"Hmm, well hopefully she gets over it quickly," Alice stated flatly. "I'd hate a repeat of last year."

"Well maybe Katie can keep them from getting back together again," Marlene suggested and wiggled her eyebrows at Katie. "They did just get paired for that project in Potions."

"If he's still messing around with Mary I'm not getting involved," Katie insisted with a shake of her head. "I'm not trying to start a war in our dormitory this year."

Alice groaned and slapped another wet pile of gillyweed in front of her, "Katie Prewett, I swear if you don't take this opportunity to finally land Eddie Bones I'm going to rip my hair out."

"I didn't say I wouldn't," Katie protested weakly. She hadn't decided if she was going to tell Alice about her arrangement with Sirius yet. "But if Mary is still part of the picture I'm not going to torture myself. I don't need that kind of drama in my life."

"She has a point," Lily agreed. "Mary is right vindictive and Eddie does have a reputation. I know he's fit and all but we definitely have more important things to worry about."

"Thank you, Lily," Katie sighed and gave Alice a pointed look. Why couldn't her best mate be that logical and accepting of Katie's perpetual singleness.

"Yes, yes. We're all going to save the world," Alice laughed but returned Katie's pointed look. "So why be afraid of a good looking bloke? That's all I'm saying."

It was easy for her to say things like that, Katie knew, because she wasn't cursed with an incredible ability to fall for exactly the wrong boy any chance she got. It'd been love at first sight for Alice and Frank and, while her intentions were good, she sometimes wished Alice would just leave her to spend her life as a lonely cat lady and enjoy what she'd been given.

"Well if she can't get it from Eddie maybe she can get it from Sirius," Marlene suggested casually and looked conspiratorially at Katie.

"Excuse me?" Katie stammered, snapping out of her thoughts abruptly.

"Well he was awfully interested in your conversation with Eddie in Potions yesterday," she shrugged and smiled innocently. "It's not like him to care about that sort of thing."

"Who says he does?" Katie demanded doing her best to remain calm.

"He did, of course," Marlene insisted, slightly offended that her information wasn't being taken seriously. "You should have heard him, going on about what a manipulative git Eddie is and how you're too smart to fall for a bloke like him. What _did_ you and Sirius talk about anyway?"

"Er, nothing terribly interesting," Katie lied and felt her cheeks start to flush. She was a terrible liar and she could feel Alice watching her suspiciously. Alice had already interrogated her once about Sirius after she healed him, she didn't need her poking around again until she was prepared to answer her questions. "He just came over to tell me that Eddie is a git and I shouldn't trust him. I told him to sod off. Didn't know why he cared, anyway."

"Right?" Marlene exclaimed and shook her head with a laugh. "Well I'm glad he warned you. It was my suggestion after all. But I'm still wondering what he's up to. He's a bit barmy, that one."

"I couldn't agree more," Katie said dryly, wondering not for the last time just what she had gotten herself into. What _was_ Sirius up to?

* * *

"I'm sorry, you're doing what?" James asked tugging on his jumper, freshly showered after practice. He turned to regard his best mate with disbelief written clearly on his face.

"You heard me well enough," Sirius replied and pulled a t-shirt over his head. "I'm going to help her get a date with Eddie Bones."

"But you hate Eddie Bones," James countered as he put his glasses on. "And you don't do generally take an interest in girls unless you want to shag them."

"This isn't about a shag," Sirius argued with a slight scowl. "I told you. I just can't shake this feeling that I owe her for that little healing trick. I figured I could help her out and we'd be square. She was so pathetic with him today, it was depressing."

James was not convinced, "It's not like you to take on pet projects. Couldn't you just, do her homework for her or something?"

Sirius grinned, "What fun would that be? Anyway, she's a smart bird and doesn't need that kind of help. And if I do it right, she'll wrap him around her finger, realize what a ponce he is, and then we'll get the added benefit of watching Eddie and his Quidditch game suffer while he moons over her leaving him."

"You really think she's capable of all that?" James asked skeptically. He couldn't deny that watching the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain squirm was appealing. "She doesn't strike me as much of a heartbreaker."

"Untapped potential, mate," Sirius assured him and stuffed the rest of his practice gear in his locker with a small smile.

"You like her," James realized and it wasn't a question. It wasn't often that he heard appreciation from his best mate about a girl's mental assets rather than her physical ones. It was intriguing, to say the least.

"Don't get mushy on me," Sirius scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, I like her but it's just because she's not an idiot like most of the birds in this school. She's smart enough to hate me. I can respect that."

"Well at least she's got that part right. You're going to meet her now?"

Sirius nodded, "In the library. Our first lesson is about personal space."

James raised a speculative eyebrow, "You don't know what personal space is, Padfoot."

Sirius let out a barking laugh, "You should try it sometime, Prongs. The ladies love it."

* * *

Katie twirled the tips of her long brown hair nervously around her fingers as she regarded herself in the mirror. She'd tried on nearly a dozen outfits and still wasn't sure if she'd achieved sexy or not.

She scowled. She wasn't even sure why she was getting so worked up about it. After all, it wasn't Sirius she was trying to impress. And did it say something about her mental state that some part of her _did_ want to impress him?

Bollocks. She looked away from the mirror in disgust. Maybe she was finally going mad.

Ultimately, she'd decided on a simple fitted black v-neck shirt tucked into a pair of high-waisted trousers that hugged her in all the right places. Casual enough to make it seem like she wasn't trying but subtly sexy, she decided. Checking her watch she realized it didn't matter. It would have to do, she was running late.

She grabbed her jumper and rucksack off the bed and made for the common room. If she timed it right, she'd miss Alice and Lily coming back from a group study session for Arithmancy as well as everyone getting back from Quidditch practice. No prying questions and no one to talk her out of it.

Not that she wouldn't have welcomed someone trying to talk her out of it. The more she thought about what she was about to do, the more she thought she could use a voice of reason.

But the Common Room was unusually empty and to her great surprise she made it all the way to the library without seeing anyone that she knew. The library itself was fairly quiet and she just managed to jump behind a bookcase as Alice and Lily left the library with their study group. Step one complete, now she just had to find Sirius.

But he had already spotted her.

He had purposely arrived early and positioned himself so he could watch her walk in. She was very clearly nervous and he nearly laughed when she scampered behind a bookcase like a scared rabbit to avoid her mates. They'd have to work on how she carried herself, he mused. Especially when going to meet with Eddie.

But she had accomplished sexy, he was glad to see. The trousers she had on made her legs look like they went on for days and they caught her in all the right places. Even the simple black shirt drew the eye exactly where it was most effective. That at least he wouldn't need to teach her. Just show her how to use it to her advantage.

When she turned and caught him looking at her, her face immediately flamed and he again had to keep himself from laughing when he saw her get angry over her own reaction. She was an interesting creature. Shaking his head, he waved her over.

She glanced over her shoulder to be sure no one was looking and then hurried over to join him at his table. Thankfully he'd chosen a fairly secluded table in the Transfiguration Section.

"You could have called to me," she grumbled as she sat down. "I thought you might have changed your mind but you're just over here enjoying the show."

"Hell of a show," he grinned and ducked away from her hand when she swatted at him. "Alright, alright. Out of line. Got it. But I'm just being honest. You do sexy well."

This time Katie stopped the blush trying to creep into her face and tried not to feel pleased, "Thank you."

"Anytime," he replied. "You ready to do this?"

She took a deep breath and tried to stem the panic that wanted to climb up her throat. Was she ready for this? Was she crazy? She had to be crazy. She was sitting at a table in the library about to take dating advice from Hogwarts' biggest heartbreaker. So sure, she was ready. Her love life certainly couldn't get worse.

She let out her breath, "Ready."

He grinned and got up to sit on the same side of the table as her, "Right. Get one of your books out of your bag. Today's first lesson is about personal space."

She frowned as she pulled a book out and set it on the table, "Personal space?"

"Mhmm," he replied and opened the book, simultaneously scooting his chair closer to her until their arms were touching lightly. He turned and looked her in the eyes as he deliberately ran his fingers through his hair, "Rule 1. Personal space is your enemy when you're trying to get a guy's attention."

Katie swallowed and tried not to think about the fact that she was about to get up close and personal with Sirius Black. It was all for the cause, she reminded herself.

"Got it," she replied and fought the urge to lean away from him. "Why?"

"Such a good student," he chuckled and ran his pinky knuckle lightly over the side of her hand. It almost seemed accidental but the feeling lingered on her skin longer than she cared to admit. He smiled knowingly. "The things he will remember when you leave are as follows. How you smelled. If you touched him. And how great your bum looks in those trousers. If you don't get close enough to make him notice, you're not doing it right."

"How I smell is important?" she replied and wrinkled her nose in doubt. Obviously hygiene was important but she'd never noticed a bloke literally sniffing after a girl.

He laughed, "Definitely important. Your perfume, the way your hair smells, whatever it is. It'll stick with him I promise. Keep him thinking about you long after you've gone. So keep that in mind, your hair smells great so I recommend you toss it over your shoulder now and then. But the touching part is important too. Just something small and subtle, it doesn't have to be obvious to be effective."

Starting to see the bigger picture, Katie nodded, "Okay. Show me."

"Okay so, scenario: we're leaning over a textbook together getting ready to prep this potion," he began. "Place your arms on the table for better access. Okay, now lean into me like you're having trouble reading the page, pretend like you suddenly realize how close you are to me, look up and place your hand on my arm and apologize. Let your hand linger."

Katie leaned in, feeling slightly silly, squinting at the page. They weren't touching yet but she could feel his body heat and suddenly began to understand the temptation to touch. Gradually she glanced up at him. Their mouths were much too close for comfort and when she glanced down at his lips she immediately regretted it. To steady herself, she placed a hand on his arm but caught herself staring at him as she murmured, "Sorry."

A slow smile formed on his lips, "Nicely done, pet. But don't stare."

She blinked, "Um. Sorry. What?"

"Don't stare. And don't be sorry," he insisted and traced a finger over her hand. She immediately snatched it back. "You did everything perfectly. You felt exactly what I meant for you to feel. You created that physical link with your hand and you get extra credit points this round because the other part you did on your own."

Katie raised her brows, placing her hands securely in her lap, "Which was?"

"You made me think about kissing you," he said simply and Katie's jaw nearly dropped.

"Excuse me?"

"You did it exactly right too," he laughed and nodded his head impressed. "I couldn't have told you to do it better. You looked up. Felt the connection, your eyes dropped to my lips for half a second and then you shook yourself out of it. Textbook temptation. Nicely done, Prewett."

Katie found that she couldn't take that compliment comfortably because she _had_ felt it. She hadn't been acting, but he obviously he had been.

Was it really that easy for people to fake a connection like that?

"What? What's wrong?" he asked. He could practically see the thoughts swirling in her head. "Everything you think shows across your face, did you know that?"

She sighed, "Yes, my mother always told me I had a glass face. I can't help it."

"But you stopped it earlier. When I said you were sexy. You physically forced yourself not to react," he tilted his head to the side. "If you think about it you can control it."

"Easier said than done," she muttered grumpily. She wasn't sure what she'd been envisioning for these lessons but round one was making her distinctly more uncomfortable than she'd anticipated. Or maybe it was just Sirius. She frowned up at him, "Is it really that easy for you to just fake this?"

He could see from the look on her face that it truly bothered her that he could. Perhaps James was right, he thought. Maybe not a real heartbreaker after all. But he'd be damned if she couldn't learn some bloody confidence.

He shrugged slightly in response, "Would it make you feel better if I said it wasn't? The real fact of the matter is it's easy once or twice but it's draining after that unless it's real."

"Which is why you don't actually date," Katie stated matter-of-factly and that, strangely, seemed to make her feel better about it. "You know, you're not as mysterious as everyone seems to think."

Sirius's answering laugh resembled a bark, "Everyone's got their layers, Prewett. Don't be fooled."

He was right, she was sure. But she didn't think his layers were as bad as he seemed to think. The simple fact that he was sitting so patiently at this table with her was proof of that. He put on a pretty rough front but she was sure there was a lot more complexity under the surface.

"Anyway," he interrupted her thoughts and what was also becoming uncomfortable conversation for him. "Let's move on to Rule Number 2. Act like you aren't invested, even if you are."

"Are these rules for dating or rules for becoming a great big jerk?" Katie protested.

"Just listen alright," he leaned back in his chair. comfortably draping an arm around her chair. "Blokes will do this to you every time but they _hate_ when you do it back. So at first, act like you don't care about anything. Ex dating another bird? Whatever. Fittest bloke in Hogwarts thinks you're a babe? That's fine. Oh, you want to go on a date this weekend? You can probably make that work. It will leave him guessing and always wanting more. And most importantly, it puts you in control."

"That's terrible," Katie shook her head. "Are you telling me this is all a big game? Dating is a bloody circus." No wonder she failed so spectacularly every time she'd gotten involved with someone, she thought in disbelief.

He shrugged but shook his head, "But it's not a game exactly. It's tactics, strategy. See, no one _wants_ to date someone who's overly needy. By being slightly standoffish at first, you make it seem like you don't need them. But it gets them thinking, maybe they need you. Maybe you've got something they need to work for a little and they let you call the shots. It drives most people crazy and Eddie Bones is ace at it. But...there's a catch with him."

Katie's eyes narrowed, "Oh?"

"He almost never follows through if you make it too easy on him," Sirius said bluntly. "Shit, I've seen him pass over an easy snog session just because the girl involved was throwing the 'g' word around."

"You mean girlfriend," she responded flatly. "I'm not dense enough to something that stupid."

"When we're done," Sirius assured her. "He'll be begging you for it."

"So what? I just go into these potion sessions and be rude to him or something?" she asked doubtfully.

"Not quite," he replied and picked up a piece of her hair, twirling it around his finger in a way that was thoroughly distracting. "Pretend I'm Eddie. Start a conversation with me like you might tomorrow."

"Er, okay," she replied and shifted awkwardly away from his hand in her hair. "Hullo Eddie. How are your classes going?"

Sirius shrugged and made his voice a little gruffer, "Been fine. Thinking about trying out for a professional Quidditch squad after graduation though so I'm not worrying too much."

Katie had to stifle a giggle, "I don't know if I should be worried or impressed by that lovely impression. But I see what you mean. Okay, ask me something."

Sirius grinned, "So I saw you with Sirius Black in the library last night. What's going on with you two?"

Her face paled a little bit at the question. The thought had never occurred to her that people might notice them together, or make connections that weren't there. But when he lifted a questioning eyebrow, she swallowed her anxiety and stubbornly wracked her brain for the proper response, "Oh him? I was just helping him with a little girl problem he's having. Honestly, for a boy with such a reputation he really is a big softy."

"Hey now," he warned but chuckled at her wit. "Don't go destroying a bloke's reputation now. But very good. Let's try another one. So you're waiting for him in the dungeon and he walks in late, gives you some excuse, but follows it immediately with some line about how he'd have gotten there sooner if he'd known you would be looking so pretty. How do you respond?"

Katie paused, thought for a moment. It wouldn't be right to acknowledge the compliment, what had Sirius told her? Act like you're not invested.

"You know Amos Diggory said the same thing to me on my way here. I must be having a good hair day. Anyway, we should get to work. You'd be my hero if you set up the cauldron for me."

"Oh Merlin," Sirius laughed, shaking his head when she even batted her eyelashes at him. "You're a quick study, Prewett. Bones isn't going to know what to do with you."

"So what do I do after I get his attention with my lack of, erm, investment?" she replied. Sassy banter she could handle. But the follow-through had always been her weakness.

"Unfortunately it's almost nine and Pince has been glaring at us for the last five minutes so that will have to wait. But you did well tonight," he replied and patted her almost affectionately on the arm.

"Thanks," she murmured and pulled her hair into a bun on top of her head before beginning to pack up her things. "You gave me a lot to think about. Hopefully I'll have a chance to practice tomorrow before I meet with Eddie."

"And all alone in a dungeon," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do and you'll be fine."

"I imagine that list isn't very long," she replied dryly but found herself smiling anyway.

He chuckled, "Touche. Are you free on Friday?"

"For session number two?" she shook our head. "The first Friday of every term is girls night for my dormitory. But you could meet me out at the greenhouses Saturday if you're not busy. Sprout lets me have them to myself on the weekends so no one will bother us. Is 2 o'clock good for you?"

"I'll be there," he promised with a nod and she headed back to the Tower with a wave.

Much later, he would be surprised to find that he was still thinking about her and slightly concerned when that fact didn't bother him...

* * *

Thanks again for reading! I'd love to hear from you in the reviews.

3 ASiriusObsession


	4. Chapter 4: Got Me On My Toes

**Disclaimer: I own Katie. The rest of the cast/HP Universe is J.K. Rowling's.**

Hullo! I'm so terribly sorry that it's taken this long to get the next chapter up. Holidays were crazy, started a new job, and the list goes on. But this story is still sitting in my head and I'm trying to get it to you when I can. Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I think this chapter has some interesting dynamic changes happening between Sirius and Katie.

 **Track 4** : Toes by LIGHTS

If you are a cliffhanger ending  
I'm the one that doesn't know anything  
Like a magpie and a ring,  
I'm always going to be looking right to you

Oh, you capture my attention  
Carefully listening,  
Don't wanna miss a thing,  
Keeping my eyes on you  
Got me on my toes

* * *

 **Chapter Four - Toes**

 **September 8, 1977**

Katie rolled onto her right side for what felt like the millionth time that morning. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she wasn't going to sleep and, despite the fact that the sun wasn't up yet, she decided to give it up as a bad job and start her day early. It wasn't worth the nightmares coming back anyway, she mused.

Despite the dream potions and the counseling she'd had from McGonagall, she still had nights where her imagination dreamed up scene after scene that forced her to relive how her parents might have died. And on those nights she often decided it was better to go without sleep than wake up feeling like she'd had a fresh hole punched in her chest. It was better to be sleep deprived, in her opinion, than severely depressed.

Unfortunately this time it was her own fault, she admitted as she climbed out of her four poster and headed to the showers. If she hadn't agreed to Sirius' stupid plan and laid awake anxiously the night before, she'd likely have been able to sleep. The nightmares only came when she was truly exhausted and her guard was down.

And she was definitely exhausted, she thought, inspecting the bruise colored bags under her eyes in the mirror before turning on one of the showers. She hadn't been sleeping well before school started and it didn't look like it was going to be getting better anytime soon.

Maybe she should just call everything off with Sirius.

She sighed as she slipped under the stream of hot water and let her muscles relax under the heat. If Eddie hadn't acknowledged her existence as more than a classmate so far he was unlikely to change his habits. Still, the echo of his comment that they should 'hang out sometime' tugged at her brain enough to have her sighing all over again. Just like she never would have been able to let Sirius stay mad at her, she was never going to be able to let this lie with Eddie. She had to know.

Deserved to know, she amended as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. There had to be a reason she was so attracted to Eddie and after all she'd been through in the last year the universe owed her a little love. Maybe Eddie just needed someone to show him the light. Bolstered by the thought, she took extra time pampering herself in the shower, spent longer than necessary picking out an outfit, and even added a glamor spell to hide the bags under her eyes. If she was going to snag Eddie, she had to pull out all the stops. It was time to stop messing around.

By the time she sat down to breakfast, she was feeling confident again and ready to take on the day.

"Well aren't you looking bright and shiny this morning. Hot date?"

Katie bit back a groan. Sirius _would_ be an early riser. She ignored him and helped herself to some toast and a fried egg instead.

"Bright and shiny, but grumpy," Sirius observed but sat down across from her anyway. He poured two cups of tea and offered her one. "Tea?"

"Don't you have someone else to bother this early in the morning?" Katie asked but grudgingly took the tea from him. She'd been just about to pour one herself.

"As it happens, I did," he replied with a wink but shrugged indifferently. "Unfortunately, she was a Stage 5 Cuddler and that tends to end badly."

Despite herself, Katie couldn't help the snort of laughter, "Stage 5 Cuddler? Merlin's beard, you're actually the worst."

He cocked a brow, "I don't pretend to be anything I'm not, Prewett."

"Don't I know it," she replied with a roll of her eyes and took in his pristine appearance. Clearly he'd made his escape from the morning's conquest fairly early but it didn't seem to have affected his usual air of perfection. She watched with some amusement as he absently tucked a piece of hair behind his ear only to have it fall across his face again. Occasionally, it wasn't hard to understand what the female population of Hogwarts saw in him. "Been up for a while, have you?"

"Didn't have much time for sleep," he informed her matter-of-factly and loaded a plate with waffles. He gave her a mischievous glance. "What about you? Anxious to start the day?"

She shrugged and avoided making eye contact, "Something like that." Just because she was willing to let him help with her love life didn't mean she had to share everything else with him.

Sirius lifted a brow as he chewed and seemed about to call her bluff when Peter Pettigrew suddenly appeared at his side jumping anxiously from foot to foot, "Padfoot! I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Alright, calm your knickers, Pete," Sirius replied through a mouthful of waffle. "Moony knew where I was. What's happening?"

"James is in a fit," Peter informed him, his eyes nervously darting back and forth between his mate and Katie. "News from home. He won't even see Evans. It must be bad, Padfoot."

Katie glanced between the two curiously. It was odd she'd never noticed the strange nicknames they had for each other. What on earth did Padfoot mean?

"Shit," Sirius swore and got to his feet. "Head Rooms?"

Peter nodded.

Sirius rolled his eyes but nodded, "Alright, go find Remus. I'll go defuse the bomb."

Immediately calmed by the prospect of Sirius' rescue, Peter agreed enthusiastically and scurried away to find Remus. .

With Peter gone, Sirius immediately let out a small growl and Katie watched curiously as an impressive array of emotions crossed his face. It surprised her to see him lose his typically cool demeanor. Like everyone else at Hogwarts, she was aware that James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew shared an almost unnaturally close bond but it was startling to see just how tightly knit they were when one of them was in distress.

"Is everything alright?" Katie asked with interest.

His head snapped up at her voice as though he'd forgotten she was sitting there. He shrugged like he was shaking off an annoying insect, "Too soon to tell. James can be a loose cannon when he's angry and I have no idea what sort of news his parents sent him. It's likely that they've taken an assignment that he doesn't think is acceptable."

"They're Aurors aren't they?" she asked.

"Yeah, incredibly high-ranking ones," Sirius replied and shook his head sadly. "Which means they get a lot of dangerous assignments."

"That's got to be hard," she replied sympathetically. She knew exactly what James was feeling right about now. An only child herself, she understood what it would do to him if he lost them.

Instead of sympathy on Sirius' face, however, she saw annoyance. He scowled, "Of course it's hard but he's being a bloody baby about it all. He's not the only one that's had family trouble. Shit, he's not the only one with parents on the front lines. He's so desperate to make sure that he doesn't end up alone he's even latched himself irrationally to Evans. It's fucking madness."

There, Katie thought. Just when she thought there might be more to Sirius than people thought he proved her wrong again. Even loving James the way he clearly did, he still couldn't admit that Lily and James were meant to be together. It made her wonder not for the first time why real love seemed to genuinely scare him.

"Anyway, I've got to go talk him off this ledge," Sirius muttered but still managed to give her a rather lewd grin as he turned to go. "Tell Eddie hullo for me tonight, won't you?"

"Probably not in my best interest," Katie replied dryly and ignored his goodbye salute. She watched him walk away and let her breath out in a huff wondering yet again why she was putting up with him. Eddie would be worth it, she told herself. But would he be worth the complete loss of her sanity in the process?

She took another sip of tea and decided it was too soon to tell.

* * *

By the time 7 o'clock rolled around the night, Katie was completely and thoroughly done with the day and revising her earlier thought that Eddie was indeed worth all her trouble. Because there'd been trouble. Heaps of it. Everywhere she went today.

In Herbology, Mary MacDonald had yet again gotten herself tangled in the juvenile Venomous Tentacular forcing Professor Sprout to take Mary to the Hospital Wing and leave Katie in charge of her classmates who promptly ignored all her instructions.

Then in Transfiguration, they had started their first unit on non-verbal spells and had been tasked with changing a single tomato into a teacup without their wands. McGonagall had insisted it was a simple place to start. Unless, that is, one happened to be furious with an idiotic classmate who couldn't pay attention to what fragile venomous plants she was standing too close to.

And _because_ she was so furious over Mary, her mind had not been able to focus and instead of a teacup she'd managed to make her tomato rot and then promptly explode on half the class. The angry mutters and sulfur-like smell of rotten tomato followed her to Charms and then again to Care of Magical Creatures which in turn had her so irritated and fed up that Kettleburn wouldn't let her help at all with harvesting Doxy eggs for fear of setting off a riot in the Doxy colony.

It was safe to say, by the time she reached her dormitory that night she wasn't in any mood to flirt with Eddie Bones.

"Maybe I should just reschedule," Katie suggested for the third time as Alice scooted her out the door fifteen minutes before she was supposed to meet Eddie. "I'm sure Eddie won't care. And Slughorn will understand if I explain."

"You're not getting out of this, Prewett," Alice planted herself firmly in the doorway to the dormitory and didn't look the least bit sympathetic. "You've been over the moon for this boy since you were eleven. Now get your cute butt down to the dungeons and show him what he's been missing."

"But I smell like rotten tomatoes," Katie whined.

"You do not," Alice insisted and rolled her eyes. "Now get going. You're going to be late."

"Why do you hate me?" Katie pouted but Alice didn't look put off.

"You know I'm doing this for your own good. And I expect a full update when you get back," she called as Katie reluctantly stomped down the stairs.

Mates, Katie decided, weren't worth the trouble. They were always sticking their noses in where they weren't wanted. Couldn't Alice see she was never going to dazzle Eddie smelling like rotten tomatoes and carrying around a streak of bad luck the size of Scotland? Sirius had told her _first thing_ that a bloke notices the way you smell. What was Eddie going to think of the unfortunate sulfury odor hanging about her person?

Probably that she lacked decent hygiene. Obviously.

She started to panic. How did she ever think she could pull this off?

"Reckon you're going to scare him off if you walk in looking like that," a voice interrupted the beginnings of her hyperventilation and had her eyes snapping up in relief. Sirius was leaning against the wall beside the entrance to the dungeons looking far too amused. He shook his head, "I knew you'd go mental about this."

"I'm not going mental," she denied hotly but could see from the pointed look he gave her that it was written all over her face that she'd been about to turn and run. She heaved a miserable sigh, "I just had a wretched day, okay? Just leave me alone, Sirius."

"It's in the bloody air," he replied with a roll of his eyes and pushed himself off the wall. "Come here."

She stopped dead in her tracks and eyed him suspiciously, "Why?"

"Because you _look_ like you've had a wretched day and I'm going to help," he sighed with impatience. "Now come here."

"Well I don't know what you think you can do about it," she muttered but made her way over to him anyway.

"Give me your sweater," he began and held out a hand as he inspected the rest of her attire. "And let your hair down."

"But it's freezing in the dungeons," she exclaimed and tugged her sweater closer to her chest. "Why do you want my sweater?"

He gave her an exasperated glance and reached up to tug the band out of her hair, "Do you want to get this right, or not?"

As her hair tumbled around her shoulders, she realized the scent of her shampoo still clung nicely to it and she relaxed a bit, "Fine then. I still don't see why I have to freeze to flirt with a boy."

"Because that sweet little button down you've got on underneath is much more interesting," Sirius replied and walked a circle around her. He nodded seemingly satisfied, "Much better."

"It's bloody cold in here," she complained but Sirius just gave her an absent look.

"I'll give Alice your sweater. Don't get all worked up on me now, Prewett. Remember what we talked about," he tugged teasingly on a piece of her hair. "Smell, touch, personal space."

"Yes, yes," she muttered and pushed past him to head down the stairs. "My memory works just fine, thanks."

She heard him chuckle behind her but he seemed satisfied for the moment and she continued down to the dungeons by herself. Thank Merlin. If she didn't know better she could have sworn he'd been waiting for her. She tried to ignore the nagging feeling in her brain that something about that fact was odd.

At least she wasn't anxious anymore, she mused ungratefully. Perhaps she could do this after all.

When she stepped into the dungeon, Eddie had already set up the cauldron and had just bent over to light the fire beneath it giving her a fairly nice view of his bum. Dear Merlin and Agrippa, it was dangerous to give a boy a bum like that. Clearing her throat as much for her sake as his, she made her way across the room as he glanced up at her with a lopsided smile.

"Sorry I'm late," she murmured and wasn't pleased to see Sirius had been right about her shirt. Eddie's eyes went straight to her chest.

He gave her another lazy smile, "It's no problem. You look great tonight."

Katie began to brush off the compliment but almost immediately heard Sirius' voice in her head. _Be confident, and don't act invested_.

"You're sweet," she replied, letting the left side of her mouth lift in an inviting smile as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I haven't looked in a mirror all day. Anyway, are you ready to get started?"

"Sure thing," he replied and started setting out the ingredients Slughorn had left for them. "Say, I heard about Mary in Herbology today. She's such a clutz."

Taken by surprise, Katie had to force herself not to roll her eyes. Lovely, he wanted to talk about Mary. She busied herself measuring out the Honeywater that they would need to start brewing the potion. She kept her eyes down, "I'd say she's more than a clutz. That's the second time Sprout's had to rescue her from the same plant."

"She always was pretty oblivious," Eddie agreed and began chopping mint leaves for the second step of the potion. "One time she tripped and fell all the way down the dormitory steps, did you know? She broke her arm."

"You don't say," Katie replied dryly and winced as he crushed half the sprig of mint he was chopping. For a Quidditch player, he was surprisingly uncoordinated. She tried to change the subject, "How did team tryouts go? You replaced your Seeker this year, right?"

"We're going to be ace this year," he replied enthusiastically, nearly cutting off his finger. "I didn't know you followed Quidditch."

"Lifelong Harpies fan, but I'm rubbish on a broom," she informed him and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she reached across him to dump the Honeywater in the cauldron. "Couldn't throw a Quaffle or hit a Bludger if my life depended on it."

"That's a shame," he replied absently but seemed to lean in closer to her as she paused beside him.

Interesting, she thought.

"My lack of Quidditch abilities or my choice in team?" she murmured, turning her face toward him. She watched with some amusement when his eyes dropped to her lips for half a second.

"Hmm, what was that?" he seemed to shake himself mentally and she smiled sweetly, placing a hand on his arm.

"I said, is it my lack of Quidditch abilities or my choice in team that's a shame?"

"Oh, huh, lack of Quidditch abilities I suppose. The Harpies are alright," he rubbed the back of his head as though trying to figure out how he got sidetracked. "I think Mary liked them too."

Katie had to force herself not to scowl. Merlin, the boy had a one track mind. She looked around for inspiration. There had to be a way to distract him again. She spotted the stewed Mandrake on the top shelf of the ingredients cabinet and decided maybe her bum might have the same effect on him as his did on her. Time for a little stretch.

"So why did you decide to take N.E.W.T level Potions? Do you want to be a healer?" she asked as she stood on tiptoe to grab the jar of mandrake. Perhaps if she started intelligent conversation with him, he'd stop talking about Mary.

"Nah," he replied easily but snapped his eyes back up to hers when she glanced over her shoulder at him.

She smirked, mission accomplished, "Then what?"

"Auror most likely," he said and gave her a matching smirk. "But I'm planning on playing Quidditch professionally when I get out so I'm not too worried about the alternative."

Katie had to keep herself from snorting in laughter. Sirius' impression of Eddie had been far too accurate. But at least he wasn't talking about Mary anymore. She measured out the mandrake and handed it to him to add to the potion, "Aren't you worried about job security? There is a war going on."

"People always need entertainment and heroes to look up to," he replied confidently. "I think I could do the most good on the Quidditch pitch."

While perhaps slightly narcissistic, she had to agree he had a point. She imagined they would need all the distractions from reality they could get until the war was over. She smiled, "I'm sure you'll be brilliant."

He grinned, "I don't know why but I knew you'd understand. Mary was always going on about how I needed to have a real career. But you get it, you understand the importance of Quidditch. You're a cool bird, Prewett."

Well at least the discussion of Mary was in Katie's favor this time, she mused. At least it got him talking to her about himself. They were getting somewhere albeit slowly.

She placed a hand on Eddie's arm for good measure, "Keeping people's passions alive is important. Anyone with eyes could see that."

"Man, I wish Mary had understood that," he touched her hand almost unconsciously. "Your boyfriend is a lucky bloke. You're with Vance right?"

"No," Katie replied firmly and was pleased to see he noticed when she lifted her hand and moved away to start stirring the potion. "We broke up last term."

"Oh I guess Mary did mention something about that. Had to do with your parents or something right?"

Mary had a big mouth, Katie decided but figured it couldn't hurt to tell him about Charlie. After all, the break up had been mutual and common knowledge.

"That's right," she replied. "He said that he couldn't be there for me and he wanted me to find someone who could. It was mutual."

"Shame," Eddie said shaking his head. "He let one of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts get away."

Katie felt a genuine blush begin to creep into her cheeks and for a moment forgot Sirius' advice and gave in to the self-consciousness that always came with talking about Charlie Vance, "I'm sure he doesn't see it that way."

"His loss then," he shrugged and gave her one of what she was beginning to think of as his signature lazy smile. Slow and easy like pouring honey into tea, which also made her want to turn into a puddle at his feet. "So are we good here? I've got to meet up with Mary. I promised her we could talk tonight."

Katie immediately felt the smile die on her lips.

It was like having cold water dumped on her. All the warm feelings left in a rush as he started putting his things away. He'd switched gears so quickly from complimenting her to running to his ex-girlfriend that she felt like he'd knocked the wind out of her.

"Oh, uh, sure," she stammered and looked helplessly around at the mess they'd made. "No worries. You go on, I'll clean up here."

"Brill," he said and without missing a beat dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "You really are a gem. I got clean up next time. See you in class tomorrow."

And then he was gone.

"Right, sure. See you in class. Not like I was flirting with you or anything here," she muttered in frustration. She glared around at the mess he'd left her as if daring it to talk back but when it didn't and the dungeon remained silent she collapsed on a stool in defeat.

Who was she kidding? She'd never be able to compete with a girl like Mary. What was the point? This whole stupid bet with Sirius was a waste of time and she was going to put a stop to it. First thing tomorrow, she'd find SIrius at breakfast and tell him the whole plan was off and she didn't want anything to do with him or Eddie ever again.

In fact, by the time she reached her dormitory she'd even convinced herself that she didn't actually like Eddie that she only thought he was handsome and that she'd be much better off without him. She was so content with her decision that Alice didn't even bother her with more questions when she told her the evening had gone brilliantly.

Too bad her life was never that simple.

* * *

 **Friday, September 9, 1977**

It was like someone had tipped him off. From breakfast until dinner the next day, she'd catch quick glimpses of Sirius but most of the time he was sliding into his seat just as class began and by the time she tried to catch up with him after class he had vanished. Imagining she'd finally get her chance at dinner, she was absolutely furious when he was nowhere to be found.

It was like he _knew_ she was looking for him.

"Um, Katie," Alice decided it was time to address the growing storm clouds above her mate's head. They'd been brewing all day but for some reason supper seemed to have set off the storm. "You going to share with the class why you're growling at the Great Hall?"

"What?" Katie snapped and glared at Alice suspiciously. "I wasn't growling."

"Yeah," Marlene agreed and considered Katie's defensive expression. "I suppose you could say it was more like muttering. Like you were cursing someone's first born. Creepy either way."

The thought was mildly appealing but Katie was fairly certain Sirius was never going to _have_ children. She shrugged and tried to get control of her expression, "It's nothing. Just some stuff I need to take care of."

"What stuff?" Alice insisted, narrowing her eyes. "I swear you've been watching like a hawk for someone all day. C'mon, why all the secrecy?"

Katie took a deep, calming breath. Alice wasn't likely to let it go but Katie also wasn't about to get into the details sitting in the middle of the Great Hall. She let her breath out through her nose. Sometimes compromise was necessary with Alice, "I'll tell you later, when we get back upstairs. In the meantime, tell me the plan for tonight."

"Oh you know, all the necessities. Gossip, face masks, and plenty of chocolate," Marlene sighed. "I can't bloody wait. And the best part is Mary and Lyssa won't even be around!"

"What?" Katie asked feeling suddenly like her stomach had turned to knots. "Why not?"

"Study group or some nonsense. If I hadn't overheard Remus Lupin talking about joining them in the library after dinner tonight I wouldn't have believed it," Marlene replied.

Katie relaxed. She had been sure it was going to have something to do with Mary and Eddie.

"What about Lily?" Alice asked and took a bite of roasted carrot. "Is James still giving her the silent treatment because of that letter he got?"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Who knows? But she'll be there. She needs to get her mind off that bloody, spoiled ponce. I made her promise she'd be up after dinner. Speaking of which, I'm recruiting you two to help me drag her away from the Head dormitory. She's just been sitting outside his door in her free time."

Alice nodded in agreement but Katie was already shaking her head 'no'. Alice's mention of the letter James had received had just given her a brilliant idea. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? If she couldn't get her hands on Sirius then she'd simply send him a letter explaining her intention to withdraw from their agreement. The best part was she wouldn't even have to speak to him!

"Sorry Marley," Katie replied when both Alice and Marlene frowned at her. "I've got something to do before girl's night tonight."

"What in the world is going on with you?" Alice demanded. "You're like Frank when it's Quidditch finals. All twitchy."

"I'll see you guys upstairs," Katie replied as she stood and slung her rucksack over her arm. She purposely ignored Alice's question. "Bye!"

And with that, she escaped from the Great Hall and headed up the marble staircase to the Tower to get some parchment. She'd sort out later how much she was actually going to tell Alice. If she was calling it quits with Sirius and his ridiculous lessons then there was really no point in letting Alice poke fun at her for it. She would just tell her she had to send an owl to Molly or something.

Considering Molly and her husband Arthur were on the front lines, Alice would absolutely believe it reason enough to be distracted all day.

And maybe she should _actually_ send a letter to Arthur and Molly, she thought guiltily as she climbed through the Portrait Hole. She still hadn't responded to the letter with the news that they were going to have another baby. Bill and Charlie would be ecstatic in the hopes of another brother, she had no doubt. It was the first happy news they'd all had in a long time.

Intent on writing to her cousin, she nearly missed him sitting in an armchair by the fire as she made her way through the Common Room.

As if he hadn't been maddeningly elusive the entire day and nothing were out of the ordinary.

Except perhaps the dark look of brooding on his face, she mused. But what did she care? She was only going to give him one less thing to worry about after all. He would deal with it.

"Can I help you with something, Prewett?" he didn't look up but she could see the frown on his features darken slightly in the firelight. "I can hear you bloody thinking from over here."

She bristled angrily. He wouldn't make this easy on her.

"As a matter of fact you can," she snapped and strode over to him. "I've been looking all over for you today. Where the hell have you been?"

He glanced up at her blankly, "Around. Last I checked you weren't my keeper."

"Of course I'm not your keeper. But you _should_ be in class like every other _normal_ person in this castle. I swear you're the-"

"I'm what, exactly?" Sirius snapped and finally turned his scowl on her full force. She blinked and took a step back. "I've had a shit day, Prewett. So if you don't mind just cut the verbal abuse short and say what you clearly have been waiting all day to say. Some of us have more important things going on than trying to earn the attention of some pompous prat who doesn't care one fucking bit about anyone but himself."

"I knew you weren't actually trying to help me!" Katie cried as her chest burned in mortification. "I knew this was some sort of game for you. I'm so stupid! You _hate_ Eddie so why would you do anything that might help him? Or me for that matter."

"Oh here we go," he rolled his eyes. "Here comes the 'woe is me' shite."

"You know, I can't believe I actually thought this was a good idea," she exclaimed and wrapped shaking fingers around the book in her hands so she wouldn't throw it at him. "I don't know why I thought you might actually have some human decency inside that bitter shell."

"That's me," he sneered and curled his lip like a dog about to bite. "Heartless to the last. I'm glad I didn't ruin your expectations, love."

"This is over. I'm done with whatever this stupid thing was between us," she replied hotly. "I'm done. I hope you choke on your bloody advice."

"Oh we hadn't even gotten started," Sirius smirked. "But best of luck on your own, Prewett. You're going to need it with a git like Eddie."

Because she thought she might cry if she opened her mouth again and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of witnessing it, she gave him one more dirty look and spun on her heel towards the staircase only letting the tears fall hot down her face when she reached the landing to her dormitory.

Sirius watched her go with an annoyed detachment before settling his scowl back on the fire.

"That was cruel, Padfoot," Remus appeared from the shadows and stretched his lanky frame on the couch next to his best mate.

"Piss off, Remus," Sirius muttered and rubbed his knuckles absently. They still twinged a bit from hitting the wall earlier that afternoon. It hadn't helped. "I'm not in the mood for a lesson in manners."

"And I'm sure taking it out on Katie made it all better," Remus patronized.

"Do you have something to say, Moony?" Sirius curled his lip with a dangerous expression that a fellow Black would have recognized and likely gotten far away from.

Remus didn't seem phased, "James finally let Lily into his room. Thought it might make you feel better."

Sirius snorted, "It'll make her feel better at least. Shit, Rem you should have seen him this morning."

Remus ran his hands over his face, feeling a lot older than his seventeen years, "I can imagine. Has he had any other news about his mum?"

"No," Sirius replied with a shake of his head. "Nothing. There's probably nothing new to tell. His dad said the doctors still had more tests to run. It's hard to imagine Euphemia being taken down by sickness. I always figured she'd go with her wand blazing."

"So did James," Remus agreed and they both stared sadly into the fire.

They'd been prepared for death but somehow the slow, dragging death of illness was far worse to contemplate.

"Damn it," Sirius said and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. "I was thinking about this summer when I moved into my apartment and she and James brought dinner over to break in the place."

"When?" Remus asked quietly.

"When Katie walked up," Sirius replied with a sigh. The helpless anger finally seemed to be releasing its grip on him. Remus usually had that effect. "She just had this look on her face like she was looking for a fight. So I gave her one. I'm an arse, eh Moony?"

"Probably worse than an arse. But you're going to apologize to her so that's something," Remus chuckled when Sirius grimaced.

"I don't do apologies," he said flatly.

Remus watched interestedly at the decision that was already on his mate's face. No, Sirius Black didn't do apologies but he had already come to terms with the fact that he was going to make an exception this time. Remus wondered briefly if it was the girl or Sirius' guilt over James' mum. Either way, he considered it a healthy change of pace, "There are worse things than being humble."

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius agreed grudgingly and tried not to think about the fact that the last person who had said that to him was Euphemia Potter.

He'd bloody well apologize to Katie Prewett.

But he wouldn't enjoy it.

* * *

 **Saturday, September 10, 1977**

In the end, girls' night never happened.

By the time Alice and Marlene realized they were fighting a losing battle trying to get Lily away from James for the night, Katie had cried herself to sleep buried under a mountain of blankets and Alice and Marlene had decided to leave her be.

That was why when she woke the next morning to the sun shining in her eyes, she had no idea what day it was or why the dormitory was completely empty. She sat up in a panic thinking she was late to class when suddenly her memories of the night before came rushing back.

Ah yes. She'd gone toe to toe with Sirius Black.

And hadn't _that_ been a bunch of laughs.

She gingerly touched the puffy bags under her eyes and sighed. Just once she wished a boy would cry over _her_ instead of the other way around. She was quite through with feeling sorry for herself but, dear Merlin, she was sick of the men of Hogwarts and their madness.

What she needed was a nice quiet afternoon in the greenhouses. No boys. No people in general. And definitely no flirting lessons. The perfect cure for her questionable decisions and the uncomfortable consequences.

Determined to find some peace, she was striding across the grounds half an hour later enjoying the September sunshine and happy that the sounds of the Quidditch practice going on meant anyone she didn't care to run into was occupied.

She let herself into Greenhouse 4 and just stood for a moment enjoying the peace and quiet of the glass building. Just like Kettleburn's barn, the greenhouse always had a calming effect on her.

Beginning to feel like herself again, she approached the Hawthorn sapling near the back of the greenhouse and set down her things.

"Hello little ones, have you missed me?" she peered through the branches of the young tree as slowly they came to life. The oldest bowtruckle from the colony that lived there, and her favorite, swung down from where it had been sleeping and landed in her outstretched hand. "Hello brave Roland. And how are you then?"

The tiny green creature chirped happily at her and immediately grabbed onto the finger she offered. She set him on her shoulder and went to collect some mulch for the tree. Roland chattered excitedly in her ear and she laughed, "I've missed you too, my friend. We're going to grow your home nice and strong so that one day I can climb up to visit you where no one can bother us. How does that sound?"

Taking the mulch back to the tree, she began mixing it into the soil around the base of the sapling as more of the bowtruckles made their way out to say hello. Roland was alternating between greeting his friends and rubbing his stalk like fingers along her cheek. It was, she had learned, how the little fellow showed affection and it was a sweet comfort as she worked.

Soon enough she was covered in dirt from head to toe and grinning like a madwoman. After the tree had been tended to, she trimmed the dead leaves and flowers from the aconite, tended the growing tendrils of Devil's Snare creeping up the back wall, and added more water to the pond of Witch's Ganglion.

All in all, by the time she was finished she was feeling quite herself again and plopped down next to the tree as she placed Roland back into it. He clung to her finger for a moment before dashing down the branch to join two young bowtruckles teasing him from near the trunk.

"Behave you," she laughed and poked Roland playfully as he tried to knock one of his mates from the branch. "And thank you for cheering me up."

"You know they say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

Katie paused and considered sending the bucket next to her feet flying towards the intruder's head but imagined it would probably be more trouble than it was worth. Instead, she glanced up to offer him an unimpressed look, "Madness is only another word for genius, Black."

Sirius was leaning against the doorframe in his Quidditch uniform. He lifted a brow, "Coming from you, I'd believe it."

"Flattery?" she scoffed and clenched her hands together to stop them from wanting to shake in anger. "That's new."

"What can I say? I'm a man of many talents," he returned easily.

"That's funny. I was sure you were only good at being a total arse," she snapped and couldn't help the emotion shaking in her voice.

"Alright," he winced. "I suppose I deserved that."

Deserved that? She thought bitterly. What he deserved was a slap across the face. She glared, "Why are you here?"

"Well shit, Prewett. Can't let me work up to it?" he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright fine. I came to apologize for last night."

Apologize? Katie stared at him for a moment. He appeared to be sincere but what in the great wide world would make him apologize to her? She doubted the word had even existed in his vocabulary before this moment. And she really doubted that he'd ever said it to a female.

Whatever game he was playing she wasn't interested.

"No need to apologize," she replied coldly.

"We both know that's not true," he argued and walked over to join her near the Hawthorn tree. He looked down at her. "I had a crap night and you walked into the middle of it. You didn't deserve that."

She glanced briefly up at him. While he didn't look particularly sorry, he did look exhausted and what she might have called sad if she hadn't known any better. She frowned and tucked her knees under her chin, "I don't know if you were expecting an apology to just magically fix everything but it doesn't. I meant it last night. I'm done with this."

"Look," he began and dropped down onto the dirt floor next to her. "I'm rubbish at this and I'm likely just going to say something else to piss you off but I reckon if you know why I was mad you might cut me some slack."

"Unlikely," she sniffed.

He began taking off his gloves and pads and gave her a pointed look, "Then just listen."

"Fine," she let her breath out in a huff. "But I'm not promising anything."

"Fine," he repeated but lifted a warning brow. "One thing first. You tell no one about this, got it? It's not my secret to share and I don't need you gossiping with those nosy birds you share a dormitory with."

She nodded stiffly in agreement and he ran his hands through his hair in an effort to settle himself.

"So James got that letter from his parents Thursday, right?" he began and she nodded when he glanced at her. "Well I assumed it was bad news but it was worse than that."

Katie blew her breath out of her nose doubtfully, "Sirius, what kind of news is worse than bad news?"

"The dying kind," he answered shortly and his jaw clenched automatically. "The kind that tells you someone you love is dead or dying."

Katie instantly felt sorry, "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made fun."

She felt her anger start to burn away as sympathy for James crept in. If one or both of his parents had died, he was likely a wreck.

Sirius brushed off her apology, "It's fine. No one's died...yet. But James' mum is sick."

"What kind of sick?" she asked curiously."Surely St. Mungo's can help."

Sirius just shook his head, "They don't know what's wrong with her. She just keeps getting worse."

"That's terrible. James must be devastated," she sympathized and thought about the only time she'd met Euphemia Potter. She was a striking and intense woman. It was hard to imagine something as silly as sickness being her downfall.

"That's putting it lightly," Sirius replied and began absently rubbing his knuckles. "He's a basket case."

Katie could see from his agitation that it was wearing on him and she felt a bit of the ice in her chest melt. She sighed, "I suppose you're the only one he'll talk to. You were probably pretty stressed last night. I get it."

Sirius began shaking his head again and this time it wasn't enough to soothe him so he got to his feet. Following suit, Katie frowned, "Is there more?"

"Not about James no," Sirius replied and patted his pockets distractedly in the hopes of a spare cigarette. He glanced at her, "You don't have a smoke do you?"

"Um, no," she replied and almost wanted to laugh at how twitchy he'd suddenly become. "Are you alright?"

He took a deep breath, wishing he had a damn cigarette. Why had he thought coming here to apologize had been a good idea? He should have just let her stew about it instead of digging up all of his own emotions.

He shrugged, "I'll be fine. It's just that-"

He paused. Scowled. And seemed about to decide not to share his next sentence.

She frowned, seeing the mild distress on his face, "Just what?"

He growled a bit in frustration, "Dunno why I'm telling you all this."

When Katie only lifted her brows in response, he scowled and wandered over to the Hawthorn tree. If he had to do this, it didn't mean he had to look her in the eye. James would call him a coward, he judged. And Remus would have hovered over him, silently sympathetic and comforting. All of which made him angry. He didn't care to see how this girl who he had no relationship with would react. In the end it wouldn't matter, really, but he was sick to death of the constant looks of pity and sympathy people had for him. And for some strange reason, the prospect of that same thing from Katie seemed especially infuriating.

"Euphemia has treated me like her own son since the summer after my first year at Hogwarts. It's not just James that is upset. I shouldn't have blown up at you the way I did. I'm sorry."

Katie considered the visibly tense muscles in Sirius' back and wondered what that simple statement had cost him. More than he'd probably care to admit, she mused, judging by the fact that he couldn't look her in the face and say it. If any of Sirius' mates had confided in her like this, she'd have instantly felt the need to soothe and comfort. Like so many of the lost and broken animals she was known for rescuing.

But this animal wasn't looking to be rescued.

"Apology accepted," Katie finally replied with a lightness she was surprised to find she felt. "Grief makes us say and do stupid things."

Sirius instantly relaxed at the nonchalance and ease of her response. He turned, glanced briefly at her, "I guess you know a bit about that."

"Guess I do," she shrugged and hugged her arms close to her middle. She tilted her head, "I think I owe you an apology as well. I went in looking for a fight last night. The truth is, there's a part of me that doesn't honestly believe that someone like Eddie could want me. And it's not your fault that I can't compete with girls like Mary MacDonald."

If he hadn't seen the sincerity on her face when she said it, he might've laughed. But the hurt she was trying to mask as she said it was much too apparent. He sighed, "You're more competition than you give yourself credit for."

Katie snorted and sat down on one of the stools, "I think, from you, that's a compliment. Even if it is just a lie to make me feel better."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "There you go with that woe is me rubbish again. If the bloke was looking for anything more than an easy snog he'd have to be blind to ignore you."

"Sirius," she warned. "You don't have to do this anymore. We agreed lessons were over last night."

"I didn't agree to anything," he argued and sat down next to her. "And it's not a lesson. It's the truth. Girls like Mary MacDonald hold a bloke's interest for about as long as it takes to get her out of her clothes and past that we're not particularly interested in letting her manipulate us any longer. She's pretty but her personality could kill Professor Binns again."

Katie laughed, "I can't argue with that. But I mean it. Eddie spent our whole Potions session talking about her. I haven't got a chance and I'm wasting your time."

"Listen Prewett. While I'm sure the thought of getting me naked in the Great Hall is appealing to you, I'm not quite ready to lose this bet yet," Sirius slapped a hand on the table for emphasis. "We'll pick up with our lessons on Wednesday."

She rolled her eyes, "I don't expect that-"

He held up a hand to stop her, "No arguments. Meet me in the Astronomy Tower Wednesday night at 7 o'clock."

He grinned when she only gave him an exasperated look.

"Even when you're irritated you're pretty," he replied and hopped off the stool as she gaped openly at him. He winked, "We can use that to our advantage. See you around, Prewett."

He had transitioned so quickly from serious to playful that she felt mildly like she'd dreamed the last half hour. She wondered briefly if she would always feel this unsteady around him.

"See you," she finally answered weakly and watched him gather up his Quidditch things before heading out of the greenhouse. From anxious, to annoyed, to gracious, to mischievous in a matter of moments, the boy would forever be a mystery to her. And somehow she was still involved in his ridiculous plot to get her a date with Eddie. She was beginning to feel a bit out of her league.

* * *

Thanks, as always, for reading and I'd love to hear from you in the reviews!

ASiriusObsession


	5. Chapter 5: I Know About You

**Disclaimer: I won Katie. Everything else belongs to J.K.**

I'm sorry it's taking so long between updates. Life gets in the way! I'm really, really in love with this chapter though. I'm digging the way things are progressing between Katie and Sirius. Ah! Please let me know what you think.

 **Track 5:** I Know About You by Dashboard Confessional

I know the curtain and the way it falls.  
I know the burden and the pain it draws.  
I know you're sorry for something,  
But I don't know why.

And I know about you.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 - And I Know About You**

 **Wednesday, September 14, 1977**

"I'm telling you, Moony. It's just not possible," Sirius said with a shake of his head. "Our Head Boy here has got Minnie wrapped around his talented, Quidditch genius finger. Detention interferes with Quidditch practice and Head duties and-"

"Understood," Remus interrupted dryly but turned to give James another pointed look just the same. "All I'm saying is she'll understand about your mum. It can't hurt to talk to her."

James was lying on his bed, feet propped against the headboard, and idly tossing his favorite Snitch hand to hand. He, like Sirius, didn't seem concerned, "I appreciate the thought, Rem. But the fewer people that know the better. My parents aren't exactly low profile Purebloods. If word gets out that my mother may be terminally ill it could be bloody disastrous."

Remus sighed. Minerva McGonagall was unlikely to be a concern in regards to James' parents' welfare but he had already realized he was fighting a losing battle. If James got landed with detention or stripped of some of his responsibilities, it was his own damn fault.

"Now gents," James began in both an effort to change the subject and to discuss something he was very much looking forward to. "This Friday is the day. The Official Gryffindor Welcome Back Party and our contribution to a storied tradition. I'm going start by saying if nothing gets set on fire then we will not have done our jobs properly. Pete, how's it coming on the firewhisky cache?"

Peter grinned, "Mission accomplished. I smuggled the last of it in this weekend. You know, the old man at Hogshead can be very helpful for the right price."

"Well done," James smirked and turned to Remus and Sirius. "And everything else?"

"On schedule," Sirius confirmed. "I'll see Prewett tonight and let her know the schedule for Friday."

"You know, Padfoot," James said with a smug look. "You're spending an awful lot of time with her."

He exchanged a knowing look with Remus and Peter before they all turned to look expectantly at Sirius.

The subject in question did not appear to care, "What of it? She's a pretty girl and I owe her a favor. It's tedious but the view is ace."

"Much as I love you brother, patience is not your strong suit," James chuckled and tossed the Snitch at him. "We promise not to laugh too hard if you've developed _feelings_."

Sirius caught the Snitch with ease and ignored the leering way James emphasized the word 'feelings'. He twirled the Snitch in his fingers, "Projection is unhealthy, mate. Might want to see Pomfrey about that. Find yourself in a mushy, monogamous relationship and suddenly you're seeing little hearts in everyone else's eyes."

"Prongs, did you hear he actually apologized to her?" Remus inquired, ignoring Sirius' efforts to put the conversation on James. "He truly said he was sorry and the world didn't end."

"Oy, who's a good boy then?" James exclaimed and ruffled Sirius' hair as he walked over to retrieve his Snitch and plop down on his best mate's bed. "I hope she gave you a proper treat for it, Padfoot."

"Sod off, the pair of you," Sirius grumbled and stood up feeling particularly harassed. "I'm leaving now."

"We just want you to go to a good home, Padsy!" James shouted after him as Sirius grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Hopefully she likes dogs!"

Rolling his eyes, but happy to see his best mate back to normal, he headed down to Ancient Runes early in the hopes that by the time James and Remus joined him they would have moved on to other subjects. The laughter that followed him down the stairs, however, suggested it was unlikely.

* * *

"This translation will be the death of me," Katie moaned looking helplessly from her Ancient Runes book and back to the parchment she was supposed to be translating. This particular form of Runic language was a completely linear form, meaning every letter was formed from the same size vertical line and defined only by the number and placement of the much shorter horizontal lines along their length. In short, an eye-crossing and infuriating language.

"You've only been at it an hour," Alice reasoned. She was biting her lip in concentration as she too attempted the translation she had been assigned. "It's almost seven though. I suppose we could use a break."

"What?" Katie looked up in surprise at the clock over the fireplace and saw it was indeed five minutes to seven. "Bugger. Alice, take my things up with you when you go will you? I completely forgot I had somewhere to be."

"Where do you have to be at 7 o'clock on a Wednesday?" Alice asked in surprise but Katie was already halfway to the Portrait Hole.

"You're a peach. I'll make it up to you. Thank you!" Katie called and slipped out the door leaving Alice sputtering protests as the Fat Lady slapped closed behind her.

Considering she'd been dreading this most of the day, Katie was surprised she'd not only lost track of time but was now looking forward to the distraction. She'd seen Sirius in passing since their conversation on Saturday but they hadn't spoken. She'd have been lying if she said she wasn't curious about the lesson topic for the evening.

She heard the clock striking seven just as she began climbing the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. There didn't appear to be anyone else around which she was thankful for. The last thing she needed was for people to find out she'd been hanging about the Astronomy Tower with Sirius Black. She made it to the top without running into so much as a ghost and was surprised to find him already there waiting.

He was standing out on the observation deck smoking a cigarette and looking for all the world like the god his fellow students thought he was. His mother, she decided, had known what she was doing naming him after one of the brightest stars in the sky. He'd untied his tie and it hung carelessly around his neck, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. His hair brushed the tops of his shoulders in the evening breeze and he looked so effortlessly handsome that Katie decided it was just unfair to the female population in general.

And bad news, she reminded herself when she realized she'd paused and was staring. We aren't here for him, Prewett. We don't even _like_ him. Remember?

Determined to ignore what she was certain was simply a bad case of hormones she moved toward the door with more confidence than she felt. Sirius looked up when she walked onto the platform and gave her the most charming, relaxed smile she'd seen from him since term started. In fact, she thought, he seemed in an especially good mood tonight.

"Hullo," he replied and took a last drag from his cigarette before tossing it over the side. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this with a devil like me?"

Caught off guard, she laughed, "I believe you insisted I meet you here."

"And do you always do what you're told, Katie Prewett?" Sirius replied lifting an aristocratic brow. He offered her a cigarette as he pulled another from his shirt pocket for himself.

"As long as it suits me. Though I don't remember being given a choice," she replied easily and took the cigarette he offered. He wasn't the first bloke to ask her that question but she imagined he found it amusing rather than annoying. "Following the rules isn't a bad thing, you know."

"Constricting though," Sirius observed and offered her a light. "And boring."

"Well," Katie replied taking a drag and letting it out slowly. She enjoyed the way the smoke swirled with the colors of the sunset as it disappeared. "I am boring, I suppose. If I wasn't I wouldn't need your, ah, services, would I?"

He chuckled, "You aren't boring, Prewett. Just unsure of yourself around blokes you like. There's a difference."

"And how do you know that?" she glanced sideways at him and he grinned knowingly.

"You don't act that way around me," he pointed out. "As I know for a fact you can't stand my guts and I happen to know I'm a reasonably good-looking bloke, it stands to reason that you just don't know how to be yourself around someone you _do_ like."

She choked out a laugh, "While most of that statement is true, there's also the small fact that every relationship I've managed to find myself in ended badly. Doesn't give a girl a whole lot of confidence in her abilities."

"We can fix that," Sirius replied with a shrug, bringing the cigarette to his lips again. He exhaled. "And I've brought just the thing to loosen you up."

Stooping, he pulled a bottle of wine from his bag and offered it to her. To her surprise, it happened to be her favorite variety.

She looked at him suspiciously as she took it, "Who have you been talking to?"

"Relax," he laughed. "I was asking around for the party. Alice just mentioned you enjoy it and I thought it might help tonight."

And just what did he have in mind that required wine, she wondered and felt a small flutter of panic in her stomach. Sirius, it seemed, was just full of surprises.

He pulled two cups from his bag and with a flick of his wand the cork erupted from the bottle in her hands. He handed her a cup and took the wine, pouring them each a glass. He lifted his glass to her, "Cheers."

She tapped her glass to his and took a sip as they both leaned against the wall of the tower. Taking a deep breath for courage, she finally asked, "So what exactly are we doing tonight that requires wine?"

"Talking," Sirius said.

"Talking," she repeated with a quizzical look. "And we need wine for that."

"You do," he assured her and sat down on one of the stone benches along the wall. He patted the seat next to him, "Tonight we're going to discuss the finer points of maintaining a bloke's attention through conversation."

Katie remained skeptical but took the seat next to him, "Conversation. Right."

"Try to keep up, Prewett," he replied dryly. "Okay rules and then we'll practice. Compliment him, get him talking about himself, and as a slightly more advanced technique - be suggestive without being obvious."

Katie took another sip of wine, "Doesn't sound too hard."

Sirius gave her a thoughtful glance, "We'll see. Alright, blokes like Eddie love to talk about themselves as you've obviously learned. _But_ you don't want to let him get so carried away that he controls the conversation. So choose compliments about his interests rather than his looks. Flattery only gets you so far, but showing him that you're impressed by his Quidditch skill or his knowledge of anything really will get him talking about himself but also give you a chance to show _you_ can also be one of his interests. You do know Quidditch, don't you?"

"Of course I know Quidditch," Katie sniffed, offended. "You really don't have a great opinion of me, do you?"

"Not the point," Sirius responded but paused when he realized her feathers were actually ruffled. "But as it stands, my opinion of you is better than most females at this school. Now if you'd wise up and forget about Eddie, I might even call it an excellent opinion."

"I'm quite aware of your opinion of Eddie," she answered dryly. " As you say, not the point. Continue."

"Thank you," he took a large swig from his cup and continued. "Now that first part is easy. Getting him talking is round one, round two is finding a way to work your agenda into the conversation. Want him to ask you out? You have to suggest it without him knowing you're doing it."

"Well that doesn't sound impossible," she grumbled and took a larger swallow of wine. "We did establish that I'm a terrible liar, yes?"

"Well it's not lying is it? Not really?" he argued and grinned suddenly. "Though I'll give it to you, it doesn't always work."

"Hmm," she hummed in amusement. "Do tell."

"We're not talking about me," he replied and considered her rosy cheeks. The wine seemed to be doing its job. So he'd share a story, he thought. Get her comfortable with him and then he'd get her talking. "But I suppose you can learn from my mistakes."

Katie snorted in amusement, "Awfully generous of you, starboy."

"Starboy?" Sirius let out a surprised chuckle. "My cousin Andromeda used to call me that. When we were kids she always claimed she was in charge of whatever game we were playing since she was named after an entire galaxy and I was only named after a star."

"I remember her," Katie replied with a smile. "I met her at one of those awful Christmas parties our parents used to throw, before the war. I heard she was disowned like y-"

She stopped short, realizing what she'd been about to say. Despite the fact that she wasn't terribly fond of him, she still didn't care to bring up something that might be painful for him. She buried her face in her wine to hide her burning cheeks.

"It's okay. You're allowed to say it," he replied easily and took a long drink from his cup. He looked absently out over the grounds as the sun finally sank behind the trees. "I'm well aware that everyone and their ancestors knows that I've been formally disowned."

Katie regarded his carefully blank face with interest. As she had thought before, there were layers to this boy that not only ran deep but that he had obviously, meticulously constructed. It was less and less surprising that he seemed so careless when it came to women. There was obviously no way in hell he would ever open up enough to have more than a surface level connection. Not when it meant someone might hurt him again. She shook her head, "It's none of my business, Sirius."

"Of course it's not," he agreed and smirked. "Doesn't stop the rest of the bloody school from running their mouths. Maybe someday I'll tell you what happened."

"Why don't we start with you telling me _why_ you aren't as perfect as everyone seems to think," she teased. "Haven't always had a silver tongue then, starboy?"

He chuckled, "Merlin's beard, no. Her name was Lucinda, you might remember her. She graduated two years ago."

"The Captain of Slytherin's _Quidditch_ team?" Katie exclaimed in disbelief. "You tried to hit on Lucky Lucy?"

"Mmm," he replied with a nod. "Common sense doesn't always speak clearly through the hormones at that age. And I was a confident little bugger."

"So what happened?" Katie demanded in amusement.

"James was ragging on me. Knew I'd been mooning about after her for several weeks. Called me a coward and worse for not talking to her. Basically pissed me off until I did something stupid," Sirius admitted and grinned as he remembered. "But once you take the bait with James there's no backing out. And I was crazy about Lucinda anyway so I went through with it."

"And your talk didn't go so well I'm assuming?"

"It started out all right," he laughed. "She actually acknowledged me which is more than I expected. I'd planned it all out, what I'd say, how she should react. And I did well. If it had been a different girl I might have succeeded but you can't beat a player at their own game. She listened to my proposition of a 'good time' and told me to come back when I had enough experience to actually know what that meant. Told me that I was pretty but she wasn't going to be responsible for deflowering me."

Katie hastily swallowed the wine she'd just sipped as she choked out a laugh, "She _said_ that to you?"

Sirius grinned, "Word for word."

"What did you do?" She was trying and failing to imagine Sirius embarrassed and out done. She found she couldn't.

"Took her at her word," he lifted a brow in a decidedly suggestive manner. "Lost my virginity. Got some practice. And learned to sweet talk with the best of them."

"Did you try again?" Katie wasn't sure why she found it so fascinating, but there was just something hilariously wonderful about imagining Sirius as a much more innocent boy, still learning the ways of women. It was almost comforting to know he hadn't always been such a smooth talker.

"Oh I tried," he chuckled and it seemed almost affectionate. "But she knew all my tricks. I never did impress her."

"Poor dear," Katie laughed and sipped the last of the wine in her cup. Her cheeks were beginning to feel flushed and she had a strange urge to giggle. "I'm glad to see you're fully recovered."

"Hmm, yes well. We have to teach you not to make my mistakes," he replied in amusement. "Subtlety is largely underrated in this game, Prewett. Something _I_ had to learn the hard way."

"So how do we begin then?" she set her empty cup down and turned to face him.

"Let's work on your compliments," he set aside his own cup and stood, offering her his hand. She took it, letting him lead her over to lean against the observation platform railing. He turned to face her, "You've got him alone. He's complaining about how Mary never understood why he spent so much time planning his Quidditch practices. What do you say?"

Katie thought for a moment. Sirius would tell her to turn his conversation into a way to get him talking about himself instead of Mary. She nodded, "Okay. I would say something like...Your devotion to your team is inspiring. It's no wonder they made you, Captain. Did you always want to be Captain?'"

"Excellent, excellent," Sirius continues and turns to face her. "Now he's going to give you his full attention. Bring back our other lessons, how do you respond."

Instinctively, Katie moved closer to Sirius and traced a finger along his hand. She looked up at him and smiled, "Maybe you could take me out to the pitch sometime and teach me to throw a Quaffle. I'm rubbish but I'm sure you're an incredible teacher."

Sirius flipped his hand, to capture hers. It was warm and rough against her skin.

He tugged her closer to him, lifted his brows, "We weren't to the being suggestive part yet."

"I'm a fast learner," she murmured and smirked.

"Definitely a fast learner," he agreed and reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear almost absently. He still had her hand trapped in his. "Eddie won't know what to do with you."

"I'm sure he'll thank you after this is all over," she murmured. He was looking at her so intensely that she noticed for the first time that there were flecks of gold melded into the gray of his eyes.

He brought his hand to her chin and for a brief and terrifying moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She held her breath but then he was laughing and shaking his head, "Sometimes, Prewett. I find it hard to believe you need my help at all."

He moved away from her to pour himself another cup of wine. And for some reason it left Katie feeling disappointed and mildly irritated.

She scowled, "Yes, well it's easy around you. It doesn't matter between us, there's no pressure."

"So pretend Eddie is me tomorrow when you're in that dungeon. If the boy doesn't try to get in your knickers with a performance like that he's thicker than I thought," he lifted his cup in salute.

The truth of the matter was, it hadn't been a performance and that thought was making her distinctly uncomfortable. She hadn't been _thinking_ , she'd simply reacted. It didn't help that he was a master at the game he was teaching her to play. He instinctively knew how to push her buttons to get her to react and it just wasn't two-sided in that way with Eddie. She was doing all of the work. And besides, she wanted Eddie to do more than snog her.

She crossed her arms across her chest feeling defensive, "I wouldn't insult Eddie that way."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't get worked up. You did very well tonight."

"I'm not worked up," Katie snapped but found that she was, in fact, on the edge of being very worked up and had no idea why. "I just think this is all a stretch, that's all."

"Listen," Sirius said and leaned back against the wall of the tower. "Artificial confidence is only going to get you so far. If you don't start to believe that this stuff works because you're worthy of the attention and not just because you can put on a show, then it will be less than a stretch and you'll have wasted both of our time."

He'd said it casually but his point was like a slap in the face. Did he really think that about her? That she was just desperately seeking love and acceptance because she felt she was worthless. The thought was defeating and more than a little depressing. Especially since at that moment it felt sort of true.

Feeling like she'd had the wind taken from her sails, she abruptly sat down on the bench next to Sirius.

He lit a cigarette and turned his head to give her a pointed look, "I don't think I've ever seen you speechless."

"You know," she said grumpily. "You could be less of an arse once in a while. Being right and a jerk doesn't make you _more_ right. It just makes you a tosser."

The left side of his mouth quirked into a small smile, "What can I say? It's a gift."

"Being right or being a tosser?" she asked dryly.

"Both," he grinned. "It's not fun being right if you don't get to enjoy it."

"Yes, well. You clearly don't know as much about women as you think you do. Occasionally you could at least let them _think_ they're right," she lifted her eyebrows in an expression of resignation when he only laughed. "Oh, who am I kidding. I forgot who I was talking to."

"You know, Prewett," he laughed. "If I could be less of a tosser for anyone, it might be you. It's sad your taste in bloke's is such rubbish."

"That, Starboy, is a matter of opinion," she informed him with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he tilted back his cup to finish the last swallow of wine and got to his feet. He offered her a hand, "I still reserve the right to say I told you so if you suddenly discover how big of a git he actually is."

She ignored his hand but stood up anyway, sensing the lesson was over. She gave him a wry smile, "Your fondest wish, I have no doubt."

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he gave her an amused look, "I don't _want_ you to fail, you know."

They began to head down the stairs together as Katie gave him a doubtful look, "Sure about that?"

He rolled his eyes, "You know, I'm almost offended."

"And if you actually had feelings I might _almost_ feel bad for you," she teased.

"You know that touches me on a very deep level, Prewett. I'd _almost_ say you care for me," he wiggled his eyebrows at her and she let out a genuinely amused laugh.

"I'm not sure you could call what I feel for you care, exactly," she grinned.

They were both laughing as they rounded the last bend of the staircase and Sirius had just opened his mouth with what was sure to be a witty reply when they were quite suddenly interrupted by a unearthly shriek.

"What in the bloody hell are you two doing in the Astronomy Tower?"

Mary MacDonald was standing just inside the tower with Amos Diggory's arms wrapped loosely around her waist. She was glaring at them suspiciously.

Katie immediately felt her insides go cold with fear. This was it. Everything was ruined. There was no way Mary wouldn't tell Eddie about her rendezvous with Sirius. And now Eddie would think she wasn't interested in him.

"Didn't know you had to make a reservation," Sirius replied calmly and he could practically feel the panic building inside Katie. He sighed, for as smart as she was she definitely didn't know how to keep her cool.

"I mean what are you doing here with _her_?" Mary snapped and pointed a nasty finger at Katie. "If Lyssa finds out you've been running around on her she'll curse you into next week. Don't think I won't tell her."

Katie glanced at Sirius curiously. Lyssa Shaklebolt didn't seem his type…

However, he simply rolled his eyes, "You can tell your barmy best mate anything you please, MacDonald. I'll tell you what I told her. It was a one time deal and it was a bloody mistake. There was nothing exclusive about it."

Unconvinced, Mary turned on Katie with a snarl, "Think you're bloody brilliant for tricking him into a snog, do you? Lyssa destroys slags like you."

"Fucking enough!" Sirius suddenly barked. The look he gave Mary was so vicious that she visibly recoiled and took two steps back when he moved towards her. "Mind your bloody mouth, Mary, and get the hell out of here. Tell Lyssa if she's got a problem, she can take it up with me."

"I'm going to tell her!" Mary insisted despite looking like a cornered rabbit.

"You have my blessing," Sirius replied with a menacing growl. "Now. Leave."

With a last accusing glare over her shoulder at Katie, she dragged a mystified Amos Diggory back through the tower entrance to leave Katie and Sirius alone once more.

And then, Katie quickly started falling to pieces.

"Oh Merlin, oh no. She's going to tell the whole bloody school. This is such a mess. What are we going to do?" she took deep breaths through her nose trying to stem the raw panic in her chest. She looked desperately at Sirius, "You have to go talk to her. If Eddie finds out-"

"Which he will," Sirius agreed and made her stop babbling for a moment. " _When_ Eddie finds out, he might start to think about you a little differently. He is fond of the Astronomy Tower after all. Honestly, you should be more worried about everyone _else_."

"Everyone else?" Katie replied blankly. The only thing she could think about was what Eddie would think. It hadn't yet occured to her that Mary MacDonald and Lyssa Shacklebolt were the driving force behind the gossip chain at Hogwarts.

"Yes," Sirius scowled and began gently pulling her away from the tower. He wasn't sure she could handle a run in with anyone else. "By the time you get to your first class tomorrow, the whole school will know."

"Oh bloody hell," she moaned. "What am I going to do?"

"Embrace it," he replied firmly.

"Excuse me?" she gave him a confused scowl. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

He shrugged, "Can't stop it. Might as well take advantage of it. Needed a confidence boost, didn't you? Nothing makes a bird quite so interesting to a bloke as having every other bird in the school talking about her. Trust me. It will only help your cause as long as you don't act like a miserable cow about it."

"I'm not being a miserable cow!" she snapped but let her breath out heavily when he only gave her an amused glance. "Okay fine. But don't encourage any of this okay. If anyone asks, you have nothing to say."

They had reached the Fat Lady's portrait finally and paused before going in.

He rolled his eyes but laughed, "Fine, Prewett. If it'll help you sleep tonight I'll keep my mouth closed on the subject."

"Good. Great, fine," Katie grumbled and shook her head in disbelief. It had started out as such a _good_ evening. She frowned at him, "Now, just stay put. I don't want to be seen walking in together."

"As you wish," he chuckled and stepped aside to let her give the password.

As the portrait swung open, her dread for the next morning was interrupted for a moment by a brief feeling of guilt. She'd been acting like being seen with Sirius was akin to having the plague and all he'd been trying to do was help her. She bit her lip as she paused to look back.

"Spit it out," Sirius prompted when she continued to worry her lip with her teeth.

"Ugh," she scowled. "I hate that you can read me like that. Alright, fine. It's just that I'm sorry for going mental on you back there. Thanks for, well...you know. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," he replied and nudged her through the Portrait Hole. "Now go before someone else sees and we have to send you to St. Mungo's for insanity."

Taking the hint, Katie disappeared through the Portrait Hole and left Sirius standing alone in the corridor, feeling particularly amused. As always, she was a constant surprise.

Though he hadn't been in the least offended by her reaction to their getting caught together, he still found it sweet that _she_ felt bad for the way she'd reacted and apologized. Even in the midst of all the crazy he knew occupied that brain of hers, she never failed to be kind. And it wasn't just for show which was even more mystifying to him. She genuinely cared about people's feelings and he had to admit that it was something he had come to think didn't exist in his world.

Shaking his head as he finally followed her path into the Common Room, he wondered suddenly what it might do to _his_ reputation to have people think he'd been snogging Katie Prewett.

An amused smile lifted one side of his mouth at the thought. He might also have an interesting day tomorrow. And James was going to have a bloody field day.

* * *

Thanks as always for reading and of course I'd love to here from you.

ASiriusObsession


	6. Chapter 6: Rumor Has It

**I know it's been forrrrrrrever. I'm sorry. Life has been crazy and so I won't make any promises about how soon I will update but I will continue to do so as I can! Happy reading!**

 **Track 5:** Rumor Has It by Adele

Bless your soul, you've got you're head in the clouds

You made a fool out of you

And, boy, she's bringing you down

She made your heart melt

But you're cold to the core

Now rumor has it she ain't got your love anymore

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6 - Rumor Has It**

 **Thursday September 15, 1977**

Despite her worries from the night before, Katie awoke the next morning feeling peaceful and slightly disoriented. A sure sign that she'd slept like a rock. And likely would have kept sleeping if it weren't for the blonde sitting cross legged at the end of her bed, stroking a loudly purring Luna, and looking as though Christmas morning had come early.

"Erm, g'morning Alice," Katie mumbled and pushed herself into a sitting position. She had a vague sense that she was forgetting something, something important, but for the moment the thought refused to form in her still half sleeping brain.

"Good morning my lovely, secret-keeping best mate," she replied almost gleefully and gave an affectionate scratch to the cat's chin before glancing up. "Did you have a good time last night?"

"A good time?" Katie asked blankly. She frowned trying to recall the previous evenings activities. She'd been studying with Alice and lost track of time which was important because she was supposed to go to the Astronomy Tower with Sirius for-

The color quickly drained from her face as everything came back in a flood of panic, "Oh, bollocks."

"Bollocks, indeed," Alice agreed and lifted a brow. "How long did you really think you could keep it a secret that you were dating Sirius Black?"

"Excuse me," Katie choked out in horror. "That I'm _what_?"

"Dating Sirius Black," Alice replied patiently and rolled her eyes. "There's no use in denying it. Mary's told me everything. About running into you in the Astronomy Tower last night, that he defended you quite valiantly when Mary attempted to accuse you of stealing him away from Lyssa. It's all rather romantic, if you ask me."

"That is not what's going on," Katie insisted, startling Luna as she threw the blankets off to get up and pace around the room. The cat gave her an offended look before stalking over to Alice's bed for a nap. Katie glanced at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was still early. Mary worked fast. "What exactly did she say?"

Alice gave her an exasperated sigh, "I knew you would make this difficult. In all honesty, I'm rather proud of you. After Vance dumped you, the cowardly git, I was sure it would be well after graduation before you had recovered enough to consider dating someone. I'm glad you chose to have a little fun with it. Black wouldn't have been my first choice but really I think the two of you might be good for each other. Is he as good a kisser as everyone says? I have to imagine-"

"Alice. Please. Just stop," Katie interrupted with a pained expression. "I know what this looks like but I assure you I am _not_ dating Sirius Black."

Alice rolled her eyes, "Okay, Prewett. I'll humor you. If you aren't, in fact, dating him you won't mind explaining why exactly you were found leaving the Astronomy Tower with him last night and just happened to not mention that you've also been secretly meeting him in the Greenhouse and the library. According to Marlene that is."

Katie winced. If Marlene had gotten ahold of this information it was worse than she'd imagined.

For a moment, she almost wished she _were_ dating Sirius. It seemed moderately less embarrassing at the moment than the actual truth. Not that it mattered anymore. By the time she got to her Potions session with Eddie later that night he'd think she was dating Sirius and all of her efforts would have been for nothing. So really? What was the point in denying it anymore?

She took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed, "Sirius and I _aren't_ dating. He's giving me, er, what you might call dating lessons. I suppose."

"Dating lessons." Alice said the two words as though Katie had crossed some definitive line into complete madness.

"Yes," Katie huffed as her cheeks started to burn. "Dating lessons. That day in Potions when you abandoned me to sit with Eddie, Sirius was sitting behind us. He was apparently eavesdropping the whole class and seemed to think that I don't have what it takes to, um, lure Eddie in on my own. He offered to help as a way to repay me for healing him after the Hippogriff incident."

When Alice didn't immediately respond, she rushed on, "I knew it was stupid. I shouldn't have done it and now everything is ruined because Eddie will just think I'm dating Sirius and not want anything to do with me at all. And now the whole bloody school is going to think-"

Without warning, Alice began laughing hysterically, falling sideways onto the bed in her mirth.

Katie scowled, "This isn't funny. Everyone's going to be talking about it. It's only 7 bloody AM and you _and Marlene_ already know. This is the worst day of my life!"

"Merlin, Katie. You're such a drama queen," Alice replied, hiccuping slightly between chuckles. "You're lucky this is so bloody hilarious or I'd be furious that you hadn't told me."

Katie groaned and threw herself backwards onto the bed next to Alice, "It is _not_ hilarious. And I was going to tell you...eventually."

"Well," Alice said. "If you want my opinion, it's likely the best thing that could have happened and the timing was ace."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked doubtfully.

"Well, it just so happens that Mary was in the Astronomy Tower with Amos Diggory last night because Eddie finally put her in her place. I believe he called her a heartless, gold digging shrew. Or something to that effect. Amos was supposed to be her revenge but now, she's singled you out to sink her claws into instead. Eddie won't be able to help but be sympathetic and you're all he's going to hear about all day," Alice rolled on her side and gave Katie a knowing grin. "There's nothing like having every girl in school talking about you to catch a bloke's attention."

Slightly disturbed by Alice echoing Sirius' words the night before, she started shaking her head, "But Eddie and Sirius _hate_ each other. There's no way he's going to be interested in me when he thinks I'm with Sirius."

Alice gave her a pointed look that suggested Katie was being dense on purpose, "First of all, they hate each other because they're rivals. Which often means one wants what the other has and at the moment that thing _appears_ to be you, doesn't it? Second of all, you aren't actually with Sirius and you'll have a perfectly private opportunity to explain that tonight at your Potions session with him. You can bond over how much of a twit Mary is, he'll sympathize, see how brilliant you are and that's that! Though really, if you ask me I think Sirius is the better choice between the two."

As Alice's words sank in, some of the panic began to recede. Maybe the two of them were right, maybe this could be used to her advantage.

Alice shrugged, "Don't get me wrong. Eddie's a fit bloke but it seems as though Sirius has taken an odd interest in you, doesn't it?"

Feeling calmer, Katie waved her hand absently at Alice's suggestion, "Sirius doesn't want anything to do with me like that. Do you really think Eddie will believe me?"

Alice's expression suggested she wasn't entirely convinced about anything regarding either boy but nodded anyway, "Of course. So long as you don't go mental every time you hear someone talking about it today. Because people are going to be talking."

"Yes, yes," Katie grumbled and got to her feet. "Sirius told me the same thing."

"Smart, that one," Alice replied thoughtfully. "And gorgeous too. Quite a package."

"Drop it, Alice. It's never going to happen," she went over to rummage through her wardrobe for an outfit and turned back to Alice. "Boys like him don't go for girls like me. Even if I was interested he's made it explicitly clear what he thinks of me from the start."

Though things _had_ seemed different the night before.

But she pushed that thought away before it could take root. Sirius was a professional after all. She was more than terribly certain that he could make a girl believe anything he wanted her to. And he was trying to teach her to do the same. It wouldn't do anyone any good to read into anything.

Alice sighed and walked over to her friend. She tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear and smiled sympathetically. Her friend had been through a lot in the last year and was suffering from an incredibly illogical inferiority complex, "You don't give yourself enough credit, Prewett. I'll see you in Herbology, okay?"

"See you," Katie replied and stood for a moment in the silence after Alice had left. Despite feeling as though her world had been turned upside down in the last few days, she was feeling dangerously optimistic for the moment. Maybe there was some method in all the madness.

* * *

As predicted, the gossips of Hogwarts were in their element most of the morning. Breakfast was a nightmare of whispers and glares from the endless females that were constantly swooning over Sirius. And the boy, in question, wasn't making any of it better. Every time he made eye contact he'd give her a cheery wave and go back to what he was doing.

The arse was enjoying it.

The only thing that got her through Transfiguration was the fact that McGonagall seemed to notice his antics about halfway through her lesson and moved him to the front of the classroom where the only person he could torment was McGonagall. Satisfied with the brief reprieve, she was feeling much better by the end of class.

"I've got to admit," Alice began as they left the Transfiguration classroom. "He's in rare form today. Didn't you say he promised not to say anything to anyone?"

"Yes, he promised," Katie glowered. "And as far as I can tell, he hasn't. But somehow he's still managed to encourage it anyway. He's such a git!"

"Now is that any way to talk about your lover, Prewett?"

As if on cue, Sirius materialized at her side as they headed down the staircase toward the courtyard that led out to the grounds.

"I am _not_ your lover," she ground out between her teeth.

Sirius tilted his head to the side considering his fellow students as they passed by, "Well I know that. And you know that. But some of the stories I've heard today make me think we should rethink it. Apparently we have a _very_ adventurous idea of when and where we snog. One in particular actually made Remus blush if you can believe that. Would you like to hear it?"

"No," Katie snapped and stopped for a moment as they entered the courtyard to glare up at him. "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped encouraging all this madness."

"Aw, lighten up, Prewett. Might as well have some fun with it," he paused and raised and eyebrow. "Is it true you have a tattoo?"

"Who told you that?" Katie's eyes narrowed as she glanced at Alice who was pretending, unconvincingly, that she hadn't heard the question. "You know what? Never mind. Just do me a favor and pretend I don't exist for the rest of the day, okay?"

"Can't," he replied simply and offered a smug smile.

"Um, I've got to head to Arithmancy," Alice said and began slowly heading back towards the castle. "See you in Herbology, Katie!"

Before Katie could protest, she'd disappeared back through the archway into the Entrance Hall leaving Katie now standing _alone_ with Sirius. She turned her glare back on him, "And _why_ can't you pretend I don't exist?"

"Aside from the fact that you're ridiculously adorable when you're furious?" Sirius began and only laughed when she moaned in frustration as two sixth year girls erupted in whispers over the comment. "I thought you might like to know that a certain Hufflepuff has been asking about us, you in particular."

"Asking what, exactly?" she demanded and checked her watch. They only had five minutes to get to Care of Magical Creatures.

However, instead of just helpfully offering the information he had dangled in front of her so that they could get to class on time...and preferably not at the same time, he instead asked, "Why don't you let me walk you to class?"

"What?" she asked horrified. "Absolutely not."

"Well I'm going that way anyway" Sirius reminded her matter-of-factly and tossed a casual arm over her shoulders. He tugged her close so he could talk into her ear. "And besides, Eddie's just stepped into the courtyard so just play along."

She looked up at him irritated but resigned, "I hope you know what you're doing."

With his arm over her shoulders, they made their way across the courtyard and out onto the grounds towards one of Kettleburn's workstations near Hagrid's hut. Once they were out of hearing distance, he glanced down at her in amusement, "It's just like I told you. Everyone's talking about you, and Eddie can't help himself. Been asking around Gryffindor about how serious we are, claims _he's_ never heard you say anything about me. Not that the ponce knows how to actually listen..."

"And what have people told him?" Katie asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"There seems to be some disagreement on that topic," he replied with an unnecessarily amused smirk. "Though I reckon he's heard enough stories about your snogging skills that he's fairly chomping at the bit to get you into a broom closet."

"It may need to be a bloody public broom closet if these rumors are ever going to end," she retorted. "And you aren't helping!"

"Am so," he protested and gave her what she imagined was a very practiced, wounded look. "I haven't told anyone anything. Not even that we're _not_ together. Per your instructions, of course."

"I should have known you'd find a way to get around that," she rolled her eyes. "Okay fine. I get it. Eddie's curious and I suppose that's good?"

"Precisely," he replied and paused with her just outside the clearing where the rest of their Care of Magical Creatures class was congregated and trying not to look like they were watching. "You also happen to be the center of everyone's attention today. I really think you're failing to take advantage of this opportunity."

"Opportunity?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, Prewett," he sighed and tapped her nose for emphasis. "Have some fun! Play the game for a little while, you might find you like being Hogwarts' bad girl for a few days."

Katie snorted, "We both know that's about as far from the truth as possible."

"Yes, but the rest of them don't know that," he grinned. "Besides, if what I heard about that tattoo of yours is true, that bad girl is in there somewhere."

He ran a hand down her arm until he reached her fingers, which he brought to his lips for a brief kiss, "See you after class, love."

He winked at her and then headed through the small crowd of seventh years shamelessly ogling them instead of listening to Professor Kettleburn who was trying in vain to recapture everyone's attention. Feeling like she'd rather throw herself in the lake than join the class, she forced her feet to move and joined a cheerful looking Marlene McKinnon.

"You two are just too much," Marlene whispered once everyone's attention had returned to Kettleburn's lecture. When Katie opened her mouth to protest, Marlene rolled her eyes, "Don't worry. Alice has told me everything. But I do have to agree with her, I think Sirius is the better choice."

Unwilling to explain to yet another person that she was hardly Sirius Black's type, she chose instead to give Marlene her best indifferent shrug and attempted to focus on Kettleburn's detailed talk on the Hippogriff adolescence.

Which in retrospect showed a great deal of self control as James and Peter made kissy faces at her the entirety of the class, Sirius refused to do anything about it, and Marlene was telling anyone who would listen how cute she thought it all was.

Yes, she thought, it was the kind of self control that truly deserved an award for not hexing every one of them into next week.

* * *

The dungeons were blessedly silent when Katie slipped into the classroom she had reserved for her Potions session with Eddie. Sighing in relief, she shut the door behind her for good measure and hoped it would deter everyone but Eddie from joining her.

What a day.

She wasn't sure how girls like Lyssa Shacklebolt and Mary MacDonald lived like this. Knowing every person in the school was talking about them, all the time. Always wondering if the whispers that followed you through the corridors had even a semblance of truth to them.

It was exhausting and, despite being fairly positive that it had succeeded in catching Eddie's attention, all she really wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and sleep for a few days. She was not cut out for this drama.

She set her bag down and began setting up the potion and their last set of ingredients. They would only have one more session after this, she mused. And she still wasn't sure anything would come of it.

As if on cue, she heard the door creak open behind her and she caught the brief scent of Eddie's cologne. Taking a deep breath she turned to offer him a smile, "Hello."

He smiled warmly and made his way over to the table, "Hey there. You're here early."

She was sure she was imagining it but he seemed pleased about it, "Um, yes. I had a bit of a crazy day and figured I'd head down here for a little peace and quiet before we got started."

"I don't blame you," he chuckled and the grin he sent her made her heart jump.

Oh boy, she thought. Oh boy was she in trouble.

He lifted a brow, "Feeling better?"

"I am actually," she answered and had to force herself not to take a step back when he moved considerably closer to her.

"I'm glad to hear it. There were some nasty rumors going around today. I was hoping you missed the worst of them," he was so close he had to look down at her when he spoke.

She swallowed nervously. It was now or never, Prewett. "I may have heard one or two. Some business about me and Sirius Black, I think? It was all a bit ridiculous."

She saw the flash of pleasant surprise on his face before the look of satisfaction. He shook his head with a slight smile, "I told Mary you were smarter than that."

She laughed lightly, "I'm afraid she jumped to some conclusions last night. Sirius and I were actually doing some studying but she didn't want to listen."

"Sounds like Mary," he said with distaste. "She and Lyssa are so wrapped up in themselves that they sometimes forget us mere lesser wizards and witches have relationships outside of snogging and shagging. I think I may also have had something to do with it. We rowed again last night and I told her it was finished between us. I'm sorry you had the bad luck to cross her path."

"It's not your fault in the slightest," Katie argued, feeling a nice warm glow from his concern for her. "It's a small castle, people talk. I'm sure by tomorrow, some other pour soul will be the object of their torture."

"You're probably right," he laughed and glanced down at her again. "I'm glad you aren't taking it personally. You're a smart bird, way too good for Sirius Black too, you know."

Katie felt the blush creep into her cheeks before she could stop it and nervously began rearranging the ingredients on the table to give herself a moment of composure, "Well thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied and followed her lead as he pulled his textbook out to help her get started on the potion. "It's actually refreshing to talk to a bird at this school that isn't interested in making a fool of herself for him."

Katie smiled in amusement. The similarities between Eddie and Sirius was sometimes scary. Probably why they hated each other so much. She glanced over at him, "You'd be surprised what girls might do for a pretty face."

"Yeah?" he asked invitingly and lifted a handsome, blond brow. "You sound like you might know a bit about that."

"A bit," she agreed and couldn't help a short laugh. "But not when it comes to Sirius. We're what might loosely be called friends."

"Well I'm glad to hear it," he said and gave the potion two clockwise stirs. "Have anyone else on your radar, then?"

She leaned over his arm to glance at the next ingredient that went into the potion, humming lightly to herself as though considering his question. Though she'd practiced Sirius' rules in her head a million times, it was still nerve wracking to pull off. But Eddie did not disappoint as he instivitively moved closer to her and when she finally looked up their faces were only inches apart.

She had opened her mouth to answer him, but the words got lost on their way out and instead she found herself staring for just a moment at his mouth. The smirk on his face was almost instant and he placed a knuckle under her chin to lift it slightly, "I was hoping it might be me. You know, you're cute when you're flustered, Prewett."

"And what makes you think I'm flustered?" she asked slightly breathless. She was 98% sure he was about to kiss her and she was suddenly sure that every whisper, rumor, and pain in the ass from Sirius was worth it. It was all worth it.

"C'mon, Prewett," he lifted his brows in amusement. "I can tell when a bird wants to be kissed."

With more boldness than she felt, she smiled, "Are you an expert, then?"

"Absolutely," he replied and slipped his hand from her chin to the nape of her neck as he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers. When she leaned into him, she was pleased that he wrapped his other arm around her waist and tangled his fingers deeper into her hair. He was deliberate without being insistent and she felt like she was beginning to melt against him when he finally pulled away.

He grinned, "Definitely too good for Black."

"Er, um, thank you," she laughed as she tried to get her brain to cooperate.

He chuckled and took her hand, running fingers lightly over her palm, "I was hoping that you might be free for the Hogsmeade trip. It seems I need a new date. What do you say?"

"Definitely yes," she replied happily but grimaced. "As long as you don't mind the talk about me and Sirius going around."

He smirked, "They won't be talking much longer. At least not about the two of you."

The suggestion in his voice was enough to have her stomach doing somersaults and, despite efforts to control it, her face flushed warmly.

"I have to say it again. I do enjoy it when you get flustered," he replied with a lifted brow and leaned down to kiss her briefly one last time. "Why don't I clean up here tonight and you head up early. It's the least I can do after the day you've had."

"Oh no, I couldn't leave you to deal with all this. The potion needs at least another half hour of monitoring," she insisted feeling simultaneously guilty and pleased that he had even offered.

"I insist," he replied with a smile. "Go get some sleep. We can talk about Hogsmeade later."

"Well if you're sure," she hesitated but swallowed her fear as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything tonight."

"Sleep well, Prewett," he replied and scooted her out the door.

At the top of the stairs, out of view of the dungeon door, she allowed herself a moment to do a small victory dance. In her wildest dreams, she never imagined it would have been so easy.

Eddie Bones had asked _her_ out on a date.

She was definitely going to have to thank Sirius. But for now, she was going to take the glowing warmth inside her to bed and enjoy her secret for the few moments it would last. The morning would arrive quickly and be unforgiving she had no doubt. Especially when everyone learned that Katie may or may not have been snogging Sirius Black but was absolutely now snogging Eddie Bones.

Unable to help it, Katie let out a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. If anyone had told her a two weeks ago that she would have taken dating advice from Sirius Black, survived a vicious Hogwarts gossip storm, _and_ be asked out by Eddie Bones, she would have called them mad. But madness, it seemed, wasn't all that bad.

* * *

xoxo ASiriusObsession


	7. Chapter 7: Weak

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own J.K.'s characters. Only Katie.**

 **Track Seven:** Weark by AJR

 _"No thank you" is what I should've said, I should be in bed_  
 _But temptations of trouble on my tongue, troubles yet to come_

 _One sip, bad for me_  
 _One hit, bad for me_  
 _One kiss, bad for me_  
 _But I give in so easily_  
 _And no thank you is how it should've gone_  
 _I should stay strong_

 _But I'm weak, and what's wrong with that?_  
 _Boy, oh boy I love it when I fall for that_

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Weak**

 **Thursday September 15, 1977**

It was late by the time James and Sirius headed back through the tunnels from Hogsmeade to the castle. It was tradition for them to go together for the last pick-up before any party, prank, or plan they'd dreamed up and even though it wouldn't be the last that year, it was definitely a special trip as it was their last 'welcome back' to Hogwarts. In honor of this, they each had a particularly large case of food and sweets on their backs and were walking through the dark in companionable silence.

As Sirius had expected, James had had no end of jokes and poking to offer about Katie Prewett throughout the day, wondering loudly to anyone who would listen how Katie had managed to 'domesticate the dog'. But now that they were alone, James decided it was time they had a more serious chat. Especially considering that the idiot had been smirking to himself as they walked along and James had a good idea what about.

"Seemed to enjoy yourself today, Pads. You almost make me think the monogamous life might suit you," he gave Sirius a knowing look.

As was his custom when he would rather not talk about his feelings, Sirius laughed and shrugged it off, "You can shove your ideas about settling down with some nice girl up your arse, Prongs. It's not the life for me. I'm just using my excellent and detailed knowledge of the dating scene at Hogwarts to help out a friend."

James lifted an amused brow, "So she's your friend now?"

"You know what I mean," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Actually I don't," he replied good-naturedly. "To be honest, Padfoot, it's one of the few times I can ever recall not being sure what the fuck you're up to. All she did was heal a black eye, why do you feel so indebted to her?"

James was starting to think he knew the answer but he'd learned from years of experience with Sirius that you often had to force him to answers he made a point to avoid.

Sirius shifted the straps holding the box on his back with an uncomfortable expression. James had always read him too easily. He dug in his pocket and took out a cigarette, lit it, and debated whether he really wanted to answer the question. The trouble wasn't that he did, in fact, think of her as a friend, it was the fact that it bothered him that he thought so. As he'd thought that afternoon when she'd healed his bruised eye, the fact that she pulled at him was a problem.

James grinned, "So you like her, then?"

Sirius shot him a dirty look, "Not in the way you mean."

James gave him a dry look, "Mate, there's only one way to like a girl like that."

"Well I don't," Sirius protested but let out a barking laugh when James only rolled his eyes in exasperation. There was clearly no getting around this talk. "Alright, you fucking arse. I do like her, I'll admit it but it's not something that will stick. I just see a lot of myself in her, that's all. She's alone a lot, mostly her own doing I might add, only a has a few cousins left that are truly family, and only a few people who care about her. It's not a life anyone should have to live. I should know. And for whatever reason, she's set her heart on fucking Bones, so I reckon, what can it hurt to help her feel a little less alone?"

Sirius paused, took a drag off his cigarette and considered the dark tunnel in front of him, "She's definitely started to grow on me, I guess. I feel bad for her. Am I getting soft?"

James considered his friend thoughtfully. Never mind the fact that Sirius rarely felt pity for anyone or anything, it also seemed he was utterly in love with the girl as well. James wondered briefly how long it would take him to come around to that fact but decided it couldn't hurt to give him a little shove in the right direction, "Dunno, mate. What happens when she finally gets this big date with Bones?"

Sirius took another drag and smirked, "I'll wait around long enough to say I told you so when he ends up being exactly what I told her he was and we'll both move on. And hopefully she'll have learned her lesson."

"And the fact that she's grown on you?" James asked curiously.

Sirius shrugged, "Like I said before, it's not the life for me."

"What if she decides that answer isn't good enough for her?"

They had come to a stop just outside of the secret passage behind the hump on the witch statue and Sirius gave James a decidedly nasty look before pulling out the map to check that it was safe. He glanced over it and the stuffed it back in his pocket before answering, "Based on her reactions today, I'd say that it won't be a problem."

Considering the girl had spent multiple hours with Sirius on many different occasions and didn't seem to have fallen in love with him _or_ caused him bodily harm, it made James think that it could _very much_ be a problem. But he could see that they weren't ready for that conversation quite yet.

So instead, James nodded his head accordingly as he hoisted Sirius up and out, "You're probably right, Padfoot. I'm sure things will go back to normal once Bones asks her out."

* * *

 **Friday September 16, 1977**

"Well, my dear, you've done it again!" Marlene exclaimed as she and Alice took the seats on either side of her in Charms the next morning after breakfast. The rest of their classmates were also starting to file in around them and some were already starting to send surreptitious glances Katie's way.

The exact reason she had avoided breakfast, she thought uncomfortably. Immature busybodies, the lot of them.

"The whole bloody school is talking about you and Eddie this morning," Alice grinned. "I'm so proud of you, Prewett. A scandal one day and the newest 'it couple' the next. Who are you and what have you done with my best mate?"

"I'll let you know if I find her," Katie replied with a pained expression.

"Oh come off it!" Lily scoffed taking the seat in front of her. "I told you all the boy needed was a little convincing. Have you told Sirius yet?"

"I haven't," Katie replied feeling slightly suspicious. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason," Lily replied lightly. "It was just that James seemed bothered by the news about Eddie this morning but absolutely refused to talk about it. Not normal for him. I just wondered if it had something to do with Sirius."

"Bothered how?" Katie asked. Her natural tendency to overreact began to kick in and she suddenly wondered what all Sirius may or may not have been telling people the day before. Especially his best mate. "Did it seem like he talked to Sirius? If he did I should probably find him and-"

"No you should not," Alice replied firmly sensing the growing anxiety in her mate's voice. "Sirius and James have nothing to do with this and even if they did it's not your concern anymore. You've got a date with Eddie Bones to worry about."

Katie took a deep, settling breath and shrugged, "I'm still feeling like it's too good to be true."

"Oh Merlin," Marlene groaned and rolled her eyes at Alice. "Is she always this mental about boys?"

"Not always. This one is a special case," Alice replied dryly.

"I'm happy, alright?" Katie exclaimed but sank lower in her chair when a few people in front of them turned to look. "It's just that I'm not going to get my hopes up. I haven't had the best luck with these sorts of things."

"But he's kissed you already, hasn't he?" Lily asked turning around in her chair. "Seems serious to me."

"But isn't it all a bit quick?" Katie asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "I mean, don't you usually have the date and then the kiss?"

"Only if you're you, Katie," Alice replied gently. "Boys like Eddie kiss with _no_ date most of the time. Besides, you said you wanted him to right? Seems like that special advice you got paid off."

Despite the insistent little voice in her head telling her it was all some fluke, her friends' reassurances were starting to fan the tiny, glowing flame of happy in her stomach that she'd been trying to avoid since the night before. She smiled hesitantly, "Paid off rather well, I suppose."

The other three girls laughed and Katie finally grinned as a blush creeped into her cheeks, "Alright, its bloody brilliant."

"Do you know what he's planning yet?" Lily asked and her smile became mischievous. "I could bring it up to James that we double date with you."

Marlene found this hilarious, "Oh dear Godric, what I would pay to see James on a double date with Eddie Bones."

"Shh," Lily hissed as James and Sirius walked in with Remus and Peter in tow. "We'll discuss this later, Katie. I fully intend to talk him into it."

And with that, all four girls quickly sat up in their seats and pretended not to notice the four boys that took the seats directly next to them as Flitwick began class.

Katie noticed that Sirius hadn't so much as glanced her way but she took that as a good sign. Their agreement had been fulfilled after all. It wasn't like they were friends and he certainly wasn't fond of Eddie so it wouldn't be any surprise if he didn't approve of her achievement. Still, she'd been hoping to tell him how smoothly it had gone and to thank him.

Oh well, she gave a mental shrug. She didn't need to think about Sirius and his mental mood swings anymore. She had a date to look forward to and at the moment that was more than enough to keep her occupied. Sirius would sort himself out.

* * *

Katie checked her watch as she caught the sun sinking dangerously low through the stable doors. She had only intended to spend an hour or two with the newborn Moon Calves that afternoon but it looked like it had turned into three or four.

She hung the food bowl she'd been cleaning on the wall and sighed. If Alice and Sirius hadn't been expecting her in about fifteen minutes to prep for the party, she probably would have skipped the party all together and stayed safely tucked away with the calves in the peaceful, dark little den. Despite her happiness over Eddie, dodging and combating all the curious stares and questions the last two days had completed depleted her social energies and she wasn't sure how she was going to get through the party.

Still, she felt much more herself after spending some quality time with Kettleburn's newest additions to the Hogwarts creature collection. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Closing the door to the calves den, she stuck her head into the back room where Kettleburn was tending to the broken wing of one of the school owls. He was talking quietly to it, mostly under his breath, and seeing the way the animal looked adoringly at him as he worked on her wing made Katie smile. There weren't many grown men to be found who would or could sweet talk a bird.

"I'm off, Professor!" she announced and both he and the owl glanced up at her.

"Have fun this evening," Kettleburn replied, his smile making his eyes crinkle. "Try not to cause too much trouble, eh?"

"Why, Professor, I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied teasingly and they both laughed. "I'll see you bright and early Monday morning. It's time to replant the Bowtruckles and their tree, I think. And we should talk about introducing the Sixth Years to the Moon Calves and possibly having them come down for a few midnight shifts to let the babies out. The mother seemed much more comfortable around me today. "

"I shall look forward to both, Miss Prewett. Now off with you, the animals will keep for the weekend," he waved her off with a gentle shooing motion and she left the barn feeling amused and content. Perhaps, the party would be a nice change of pace. With the exception of a certain roommate she didn't care to think about, her fellow Gryffindors seemed uninterested in her personal life for the most part.

And they _definitely_ knew how to throw a party, she thought with a grin.

"Well someone's in a jolly mood."

The doors to the castle had been propped open to let the unseasonably warm autumn breeze in and Katie found Sirius leaning easily against the door jamb as though he'd been waiting for her. He, however, didn't appear particularly jolly.

Katie smiled anyway, best not to indulge his moods, "I was just visiting with the newborn Moon Calves at the barn. They're finally eating solid foods and I was introducing them to some new vegetables today."

"I think you've brought some of them back with you," he replied glancing down to her feet and back.

Katie glanced down and groaned, she was covered in dirt, hay, and bit of greens from the feeding, "Merlin, I'm sorry. I'm such a mess!"

He tilted his head to the side as he fell into step beside her as they headed up the marble staircase in the entrance hall, "Why do you apologize for things you're passionate about? You shouldn't be ashamed of the work you do."

The tone in his voice suggested it annoyed him but he looked mostly indifferent. Katie chewed on her lip, not sure how to answer. He wasn't the first to criticize this particular fault of hers but the way he said it made her feel particularly self-conscious. She shrugged uncomfortably, "Um, habit I suppose. My mother always used to scold my father and I when we'd come into the house covered in filth after trekking through the woods."

Sirius could practically see the anxiety on her face and had to make an effort not to roll his eyes. After how their last few lessons had progressed, he'd almost forgotten how flighty she could be and for some reason it seriously irritated him.

Katie glanced up at him and saw the irritation on his face and wanted to moan in frustration. She'd told herself she wasn't going to worry about the state of Sirius' mood but here she was trying to figure out how she could less annoy him.

She cleared her throat, "So I meant to thank you at some point today. I guess you heard about me and Eddie."

He raised a perfectly arched brow and glanced briefly at her, "I hadn't, actually."

"Oh," she replied in surprise and wondered briefly just where he had been most of the day that he hadn't heard the news. "Well, I'd say you're a success at teaching. Eddie asked me to Hogsmeade last night. I really didn't think I'd manage to pull it off. At least not so soon, at any rate."

"I didn't doubt you," he pointed out as they arrived at the Portrait Hole.

They both stopped and stood for a moment in silence. Katie couldn't help wondering what he was thinking. When she found him standing in the entrance way, it almost seemed like he had been waiting for her and now she had the distinct impression that there was something more he wanted to say. For some reason, that thought filled her with unreasonable dread.

"So, um, I guess that makes us even then, doesn't it? You're officially off the hook?" she smiled hesitantly hoping that was the cause of his he just wanted to be done with her.

He looked up and gave her a lopsided smile, "S'pose it does. I'm happy for you. I'm glad you got what you wanted."

He said the password before she could respond and waited as she climbed through the Portrait Hole ahead of him. Alice was waiting for them just inside.

"Alright then? Ready to get decorating? Merlin, Katie, you're filthy! Where have you been?" she exclaimed before catching sight of what was apparently an awkward expression on both Sirius and Katie's faces. She paused and raised an eyebrow, "Everything all right?"

"Of course," Katie replied quickly and glanced nervously at Sirius. She was still sure he had something on his mind that she didn't want to hear. "I was just in the stable with Professor Kettleburn. I'll just go up and change. I wouldn't want the boys' dormitory to smell like a barn."

"Well hurry up," Alice said with a lingering look at Sirius. "You're both late and we've got a lot to do."

"I'll head up now and get started," Sirius offered and his face suddenly cleared as though whatever internal debate he'd been having was resolved. "I've got to check in on Remus first anyway."

Without waiting for a send off, he headed up the tower stairs two at a time and quickly disappeared around the corner of the first landing. Alice turned back to Katie looking suspicious, "You're sure everything is alright?"

"Yes, Alice. Why wouldn't it be?" Katie repeated, feigning exasperation. "I just ran into him on my way upstairs and we were talking about Eddie. I'm sure he's just pleased that he doesn't have to deal with me anymore."

"Didn't seem pleased to me," Alice muttered but Katie chose to ignore her as they began climbing the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

* * *

"I'm honestly surprised the boys suggested using their dormitory for the party tonight," Marlene was saying as she pinned her curls into a bun. "They've lost their best snogging spot, haven't they?"

Lily snorted, "They're creative. I'm sure they'll make do."

The redhead looked over at Alice and Katie who were arguing over yet another outfit, "Oy, if you two don't decide I'm making you _both_ go naked."

"Now that's hardly fair," Alice protested. "I've been dressed for nearly an hour. It's not my fault that Katie is the most indecisive person in Britain."

"And it's not my fault that you're wearing my favorite skirt," Katie tossed her hair over her shoulder in dismissal as she went back to consider the other skirt and two pairs of trousers laid out on her bed.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't lost _my_ favorite skirt this summer I'd have asked first. But seeing as you did, it was fair game. Really, I don't see why you don't wear the black one with-"

"Enough!" Lily exclaimed. She walked over to the bed and picked up the high waisted trousers Katie had worn to her first lesson with Sirius and promptly stuffed them into her hands. "Wear these ones. Sirius told James about them on four different occasions the last time you wore them and that was only when I was around. Clearly, they're bloke approved and they make your bum look spectacular."

Katie frowned, "Sirius talked to James about my pants?"

Lily gave her a smug smile, "It was more about the bum _in_ the pants. But yes, he did. A lot."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Katie replied but began tugging the pants on anyway. She had the perfect top in a deep Gryffindor red that tied right above her belly button and showed off just the right amount of skin. It was a shame Eddie wouldn't be around.

"Love, if you don't make the boys drool what's the point in this ritual we have before every party?" Marlene laughed, turning back and forth to admire the skin tight, brown suede skirt she was wearing. "Trust me. I told Lily this for years. Just because you don't want to snog the bloke doesn't mean you can't enjoy making him go a bit mental."

"Almost seems cruel," Alice sighed and they all burst into laughter.

Katie grinned as well.

Perhaps her friends had the right idea, she though buttoning up the blouse and tying it at her waist. She'd always been more concerned about the end game than actually playing it when it came to boys. In fact, as she reflected she started hearing a little voice in her head that sounded all too much like Sirius telling her to, what had he said? Embrace the bad girl for a change? Maybe it was time she did a little embracing.

"Well now that that's settled and we're properly late, I say we go make our entrance!" Alice announced and threw open the dormitory door. "Ready or not, here we come."

* * *

The party had been rolling for nearly half an hour when Lyssa Shacklebolt and Mary MacDonald arrived but there was still no sign of the other half of the seventh year girls much to James' impatience and Sirius' great annoyance. James was acting like a randy fourteen year old boy who had just had his first go at second base and was going to die if he didn't have another go soon.

"Will you stop that," Sirius demanded when James yet again pulled out his lucky Snitch to fiddle with it while he look anxiously around the room for a glimpse of red hair. "For Godric's sake, she'll be here, Prongs. She's not going to skip out on a party her bloody boyfriend is hosting."

James scowled, "Well you think she'd maybe be _on time_ since her bloody boyfriend is, in fact, hosting."

"Girls have routines before this sort of thing, Prongs," Sirius replied easily and gave his best mate a knowing look. "It's when they do all those secret rituals that make them smell good enough to make you want to take a bite. It's all part of their bigger plan to make an ass out of you. Which Evans has done a proper job of, I might add."

"Oh sod off," James replied but grinned. "She has though, hasn't she? I think I'm in love, Padfoot."

"Oh Merlin, don't make me gag," Sirius made a face. "I'm drunk enough for that shite yet. Just promise me she won't start hanging about all the time. She's growing on me but she's still a bit of a wet blanket."

"Ah, there they are!" James suddenly exclaimed, completely ignoring Sirius' request and heading for the door.

Uninterested in watching James fawn over Lily, he stayed put but looked up to find that his joke about secret rituals may have had some merit to it. Because Katie Prewett definitely made him want to take a bite and he was suddenly starving.

Godric's beard, she was wearing the trousers she'd worn to their first lesson, the kind that would make any bloke want to peel her out of them. And he especially liked the top she'd tied just above the waist of her pants that gave a tantalizing view of skin every time she moved. As he'd thought once or twice during their lessons, it was hard to imagine that the girl didn't know how sexy she was. Nothing about that pretty picture screamed lack of confidence.

"Shall I get you a napkin for that drool, Pads?" Remus was smirking heavily as he joined Sirius and turned to watch James greet the girls. "I have to hand it to you, you really took your job seriously with that one. I've never seen Katie Prewett look like a conquering queen before. You'd think she'd been ruling this school all along."

"Seems to be now, at any rate," Sirius replied with a shrug and forced himself to turn away. "Shall we get started setting up?"

Katie felt eyes on her the second she walked in the room, but unlike the rest of the day, the looks were warm, welcoming, and appreciative. The decorations had turned out nicely. The top half of the room had been bewitched to look like the night sky and it made her feel like she was in the middle of some wilderness. Though she'd never been into any forest that smelled like beer, food, and smoke, she thought with a laugh.

The party was already in full swing which was exciting to walk into and within seconds James Potter had claimed their small group to show them around.

"Thought you might not be coming," he replied with a dashing grin as he scooped Lily into his arms and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. "To be honest, I'm tempted to kick them all out so we can have our own party. You look amazing, Lils."

Blushing furiously but clearly pleased, Lily shoved at him until he set her back down, "You will do nothing of the sort. Why don't you get us some drinks? It'll help me stop thinking about how many rules we're breaking."

"Probably a wise choice," James agreed and offered the other three girls a mischievous grin. "Right this way, ladies."

Grabbing Lily's hand, he led them toward the back of the room where Remus and Sirius were running a good business handing out drinks. Remus was pouring beers and rationing firewhiskey and Sirius seemed to be creating an elaborate set up of some sort that included firewhisky, a potion that was an appealing looking orange color, and what Katie was fairly certain were cigarettes.

"What'll it be tonight, ladies?" Remus asked with a warm smile. He seemed to have lost his typically pale complexion and Katie was sure that it was mostly due to the shots of firewhiskey he'd been taking. "There's beer, wine, whiskey, and if you wait just a moment Sirius will introduce you to Dragon Whiskey."

"So what exactly is this Dragon Whiskey?" Lily asked skeptically.

"The particulars of that are a trade secret, love," Sirius informed her as he finally turned his attention to James and the four girls. He glanced briefly at Katie but as he'd been doing all day, barely acknowledged her and continued. "But I can teach you how it's done."

Lily hesitated but Alice pulled her over to Sirius' table, "C'mon you. It's a right of passage. Frank made me do one this summer when we had a party at James' place. It doesn't hurt just don't drink anything for a while until it hits you."

"Don't be scared, Evans," Sirius said with a chuckle and lit one of the cigarettes.

"I'm not scared, I just don't see what the big deal is. Why won't anyone tell me what this is about?"

To her credit, she didn't look the least bit apprehensive, Katie though. Only slightly annoyed.

"Alright so here's how it works," Sirius began and motioned across the table. "First you take a hit off the cig, deep breath and hold it in. While you're holding the smoke in, you'll follow it with a shot of fire whiskey and then immediately with a shot of the potion at the end of the table. As soon as you've swallowed the potion, exhale forcefully."

"What happens then?" Lily asked betraying just a hint of apprehension and glancing accusingly at her boyfriend. He only gave her a quick grin and a shrug.

"We'll see if our fiery red head lives up to her reputation," Sirius replied with a smirk. "Now stop stalling and give it a go. Everyone step back."

With a supportive look from Alice, Lily took a deep drag from the cigarette and exchanged it for the shot Sirius offered her. Still holding her breath, she knocked back the whiskey and then followed it quickly with the orange potion. Looking directly at James, she lifted a single eyebrow and pushed the smoke and air from her lungs as hard as she could.

The result was an explosion of red and orange flames that looked very much as though Lily had suddenly learned to breathe fire. A collective shout went up around the room and an enthusiastic round of applause followed as the smoke dispersed through the room.

"Bravo, Evans! That's the best first attempt I've ever seen," Sirius exclaimed and seemed genuinely impressed.

Lily was also looking impressed, "I have to hand it to you, Sirius. That was a clever bit of magic. The flames weren't even warm."

He gave her a small bow, "High praise, red."

"You're welcome," she laughed and held onto James when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Whew, it's also extremely potent."

"We needed to get you warmed up," James informed her and nuzzled into the corner between her neck and shoulder.

Lily glanced back at him suspiciously, "For what, exactly?"

"For beer pong," James stated firmly and scowled at his Head Chaser and best mate. "Sirius and Marlene are in need of a good beating and I happen to know you're pretty good at this game."

"Who do you think taught her?" Marlene replied smartly. "You won't beat us, Potter. You'll retire from Hogwarts having never tasted that victory. I promise."

"We'll see. Remus, I need two beers. Oy, you lot! Off the beer table, it's time for the professionals to show you how it's done," James snatched the beers from Remus and took off to deal with the protests from the game in progress.

Marlene grabbed Lily by the arm and offered Alice and Katie a happy grin, "Wish her luck! She's going to need it. C'mon, Sirius. We've some business to attend to."

As the rest of their mates disappeared Alice turned back to Katie with a smile, "Frank won't be here until later. What do you say we do a few shots of fire whiskey and get out on the dance floor."

Katie held out a hand to Remus who promptly put a shot into it, "You're on!"

* * *

 **Later that evening…**

It would never be said that Gryffindors didn't know how to have a good time, Katie mused as she collapsed onto an overstuffed chair several hours later feeling insanely happy and fairly drunk. It would definitely be a night to remember.

She and Alice had danced till their feet were sore and once Frank arrived Katie had been surprised to find Remus, adorably drunk and sweetly asking if he could dance with her. Not long after, Marlene and Sirius officially met defeat at the hands of James and Lily and somewhere in the resulting chaos someone had convinced Katie to also participate in more Dragon Whiskeys. The four girls had then spent the past hour dancing off the whiskey until she'd found her way to her present position in a wonderfully comfy armchair and greatly in need of a rest.

The party was still going strong and likely would be for some time, but as she watched, couples drifted out the door and here and there someone gave up the ghost and decided to sleep where they were sitting. All in all, it had been a perfect evening and despite her earlier feelings she was feeling happy glow all the way to her toes.

Across the room, Sirius had taken a similar break from a particularly intense Quidditch conversation when he spotted Katie sprawled out in a chair looking for all the world like she needed a proper kiss.

He scowled. Not that he was going to oblige her but he'd be damned if he was going to let her pass up such a prime opportunity. It was, he decided, time for a game of spin the bottle. He grabbed Marlene's arm as she walked by with a sixth year boy and lifted an eyebrow, "Spread the word. Spin the bottle in ten minutes."

"Oooo, you always know just the thing!" Marlene cooed and grinned happily. "I'll invite only the best."

He watched her drag the poor, unsuspecting boy behind her as she headed off to collect what he was certain would be an entertaining group for spin the bottle. He turned back to Katie. He had inviting of his own to do.

Making his way around the room so that he could approach her from behind, he leaned over the back of her chair and spoke quietly into her ear, "Having fun?"

Thinking it may have been Remus, she turned with a smile but quickly discovered it was not. Sirius was leaning casually over the back of her chair and was quite clearly sloshed.

"I am," she answered with a small smile wondering why her stomach had just done a lazy sort of somersault.

"I'm glad," he offered her a hand and pulled her up from the chair, steadying her with a hand on the waist when she stumbled slightly. The resulting embarrassed giggle from her made him grin and he pulled her in a little closer, "I have a proposition for you, Prewett."

Feeling fuzzy and just a little more drunk than she was used to she gave him a frank look and pursed her lips, "And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"How about a game of spin the bottle," he suggested, his hand squeezing her hip where it was wrapped around her waist.

"I've never played," she admitted and felt her stomach do another somersault. "It seems kind of silly."

"You worry too much," he insisted and fixed her with an intense look. "Of course it's silly. That's the point, have a little fun.."

"Is this another lesson?" she inquired curiously and discovered she was having deja vu, recalling a similar moment on top of the Astronomy Tower when they'd been just a little too close for comfort. "I thought we were done with those."

"This one's on the house," he replied firmly. "Now just be a good girl and come along."

Seeing that he'd set his mind to it, she gave a resigned laugh. She could think about the consequences later, "Alright, you big bully. Let me get another drink and I'll join you."

"Brilliant," he squeezed her hip once more and released her. He nodded towards the windows where Marlene had already begun gathering people, "You've got five minutes or I'm coming to find you."

"Yes, yes," she said and nudged him towards the growing group of spin the bottle players. "I'll be right along."

He headed off with one last glance back at her and she headed to the drink table wondering what exactly Sirius' intentions were. He'd avoided her most of the evening and had been acting very strangely most of the day before that. The thoughts she'd been avoiding all day began to surface and she finally let herself wonder if maybe something was happening between them.

The thought was unsettling to say the least and she immediately shook it off as a very unlikely possibility. After all, he hadn't suggested she play spin the bottle so that _he_ could kiss her, had he? Of course not. And that seemed entirely the sort of thing he have suggested if that's what he intended.

No, he was probably just feeling sorry for her again. The boy really didn't think she was capable of having an ounce of fun on her own.

"You think you're _so_ clever, don't you Prewett?"

Pulled abruptly from her thoughts, Katie looked up to discover a very drunk Mary MacDonald blocking her path to the drink table.

"I'm sorry, what are you on about?" Katie asked, slightly surprised at the irritation in her own voice.

"Eddie will see right through these games you're playing with him. Everyone knows you're just toying with him, trying to make Sirius jealous so he'll actually notice you. It's sad, really, that you have to stoop to something so low. I can't wait until they both see what you really are."

"And what is that?" Katie found her fists curling and an unfamiliar anger building in her chest as she glared at her fellow Gryffindor. She was beginning to find she'd had quite enough of Mary MacDonald and her drama.

"A worthless, easy little slag! It's the only reason Eddie wants you. He figures you're an easy snog but you won't keep his attention for long. Boring girls like you never do. You'll see, he'll come crawling back to me before you ever go on your bloody date," her voice was becoming shriller as she got more upset and people were beginning to stare.

Clenching her fist in an effort to control her temper, Katie attempted to get past her before things went any further, "You're drunk, Mary. Why don't you just go to bed?"

"Why don't you just go to hell!" she shouted and shoved Katie backwards. "You're just like your parents! Worthless, spineless losers! No one else's parents have died. Were yours so useless that they didn't even put up a fight? I don't know how Eddie can even stand looking at you. You're-"

"Shut up!" Katie suddenly exploded and whipped her wand from her pocket. "Just shut up or I swear I'll hex you into next year."

Mary's eyes had gone round but she had had enough liquid courage that she felt confident enough to take a step towards Katie's outstretched wand, "You wouldn't dare."

The twist of rage and grief in Katie's chest was doing dangerous things to her self control and when Mary took that step she very nearly lost her grip and suddenly found herself with her wand pointed straight at Mary's forehead. People were starting to gather around them but Katie found that she didn't care, "We both know you wouldn't stand a chance, Mary. Now take it back. Apologize for what you said about my parents."

Mary's eyes went even wider when Katie moved in but as the crowd of people gathered closer it seemed to assure her she would be safe. Though clearly nervous, she smirked nastily, "Never. They deserved to die and you'll probably go the same way."

Looking back, Katie wouldn't remember making the choice but in a split second she dropped her wand hand and quite gracefully smashed her other fist into Mary's jaw. The other girl hit the floor with a screech and without so much as a backward glance, Katie took off for the door. She wanted nothing more than to escape before the anger in her chest gave way to something much, much worse and much less easy to control.

Knowing she'd be followed to her dormitory, she decided that leaving the Tower altogether was her best bet and headed through the Common Room instead of up the stairs to the girls dormitories. The Fat Lady gave an indignant squawk when she burst through the Portrait Hole but she ignored the Lady's warning shouts about curfew and stumbled blindly up the corridor thinking only that she wanted to get as far from Mary MacDonald as she could.

By the time she lost her steam, she was standing in front of an enormous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy in a section of the corridor lit with only a single torch. Thinking it was as good a place as any, she sat down against the tapestry and promptly had herself a good cry.

Mary hadn't been the first to suggest that her parents were weak or cowards and she likely wouldn't be the last. But it didn't make it any easier to hear, no matter how far from the truth it might be. Mary had also known exactly how to get under her skin where Eddie was concerned and that stung.

Wasn't she already afraid it was too good to be true? Nevermind that Mary was likely just bitter and heartbroken over her break up, hearing her echo Katie's own anxious thoughts had been painfully on target.

Katie groaned into her hands. How had things become such a mess?

When did _you_ become such a mess, Prewett, she thought angrily and rubbed her hands over her face in an attempt to calm the flow of tears. She glared angrily at the wall across from her. She was starting to wonder if her life would ever find normalcy again.

As the tears finally began to slow, she became aware of footsteps heading up the corridor towards her. For a moment, she considered finding a place to hide but decided it wasn't worth the effort. So instead she pulled her knees to her chest, rested her forehead on them, and waited. If it was a teacher, she would just have to deal with the consequences.

The footsteps approached moments later but whoever it was merely paused and said nothing.

Alice, then, she thought in relief and lifted her head.

But it was Sirius standing in front of her. Slightly shocked, she simply stared at him.

Thinking the silence likely meant it was safe, he closed the distance between them and sat down on the ground next to her. He could tell from her expression that she wasn't quite sure what to do with him and decided he'd just let her get used to it first and settled in.

And so they sat that way, arms touching, not saying a word for a long time. Katie feeling like she had something stuck in her throat, and Sirius simply waiting for her to adjust.

Finally, feeling that she'd relaxed, he shifted his shoulders into hers and asked, "Want to talk about it?"

She sniffled a bit, swallowed against the lump in her throat, and shrugged, "Probably."

He nodded as if that meant something important and settled back against the wall again to wait.

Katie, however, was caught somewhere between confusion and gratitude. What in the world was he doing there? Determined to get to the bottom of it, she turned to look at him, "Why are you here?"

He leaned his head back against the wall and glanced sideways at her, "I know what you're going through."

"And I suppose you're here to tell me Mary's just a goose and I need to suck it up," she replied sadly, fully expecting Sirius to be the type who couldn't be bothered to grieve for anyone or anything. Not souless, but perhaps a bit cold-hearted.

He frowned, "If that's what _you_ think you need, maybe. But it's more that I know how infuriating it can be when people just want to unload their sympathy on you and I thought you might prefer someone who will listen and not offer a damn apology."

Before that exact moment, Katie had never been able to put that particular feeling into words but hearing him say it, it suddenly became quite obvious he did understand. Even as she'd healed and the grief had made her numb, there had still always been that shadow of knowing in other people's eyes and in knowing, feeling sorry for her. She hadn't realized until now that it bothered her. She couldn't imagine that it would have sat well with Sirius either.

She silently reached over and took his hand before he could protest, "You grieved for them, your family. I didn't think that you would."

"James is my family now," he replied firmly, his hand flexed like he was going to pull away but instead he slipped his fingers through hers. The physical link somehow made an uncomfortable topic more tolerable. "But yes, even as angry as I was, with a family as evil as mine, you still grieve when it's gone."

"I shouldn't have listened to her," Katie said softly. "She was just trying to get a reaction out of me."

"I'd say it worked," Sirius chuckled remembering the way Mary had been squawling like a baby when he'd left to find Katie. "She's got a hell of bruise on her jaw already."

Katie winced, "I punched her because I was afraid I might kill her if I used magic."

"Both would have served her right," he scowled. "She's a bloody coward."

In spite of herself, Katie laughed dryly, "She is. But I suppose she was grieving too."

"Doesn't excuse what she did," he declared angrily. "She's lucky you have such amazing self control."

"One of the many talents I learned from my parents," she replied and could feel herself on the verge of tears again. He had asked her if she wanted to talk about it. It seemed that she did. "They died protecting Molly and Arthur's boys. Did you know?"

Sirius shook his head. Feeling exhausted even by the memory, she settled her head on his shoulder and let a few tears escape, "They fought off the Death Eaters long enough for help to get there. They saved the boys but they didn't make it out."

Sirius rested his chin on her head. He'd known her parents had died violently but he hadn't known the details. It made what Mary had said that much worse and her punishment decidedly lacking in Sirius' eyes.

Katie sighed heavily, "Anyway, I don't think I can face Mary again tonight. I've decided I'm sleeping right here in the corridor."

"Bit drafty," Sirius observed and looked around as if there might be something more appealing close by.

"Do you have another solution?" her laugh was genuine, if a bit watery.

He got to his feet and pulled her up as well. He began pacing back and forth in front of the opposite wall as if he were thinking very going so far as to stroke the stubble on his cheeks like Sherlock Holmes. She shook her head at his antics, "Out with it then."

But no sooner had the words left her mouth, then there was suddenly a door where there hadn't been before and Sirius was standing to the right of it looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"How in the world did you manage that?" she demanded. The boy was a never ending wonder.

"It's a secret that I expect you'll _keep_ ," he stressed the last word but didn't seem terribly concerned. "The castle is full of them."

"Where does it go?" she moved toward the door and studied it intently. It didn't look anything like any other door in Hogwarts. In fact, it looked like it belonged in a much more modern building.

"The simple answer? Wherever you need it to," he said and opened the door to lead her through. "Tonight it's nothing special but it's a warm place to sleep at least."

To Katie's amazement, they had walked straight into a very cozy bedroom. Muggle and wizard rock band posters were plastered across the walls, a record player stood in the corner, and there was a pile of magazines on the dresser that all seemed to be about something called motorcycles. In the middle of the room was a huge, comfy looking bed covered in mountains of pillows and blankets and there was a pile of Quidditch gear just inside the door.

The room had a distinct Sirius vibe and she suddenly realized that it was likely his own bedroom.

"If you'd rather not sleep in my bed we can try something else," he offered but seemed pleased with his choice despite it. "But no one will bother you here. I'll tell the boys not to disturb the room this weekend. Do you want to change it?"

"No," she said quickly and headed toward the bed. She sat down on the edge and found it as gloriously squishy as she'd hoped. "Thank you. It seems I owe _you_ a favor now, doesn't it?"

He shook his head, the alcohol was starting to wear off and he was starting to regret his choice in sanctuary. Why had he chosen his _own_ bedroom of all places? Damn sentimental git. He shook it off, "You don't owe me anything, Prewett. Just get some rest."

She stood up again and shook her head with a soft laugh, "You're a lot sweeter than you want people to know, Starboy. But I promise not to tell. Now turn around while I get out of these bloody pants and into this bed."

A lot sweeter than you want people to know…

Sirius just shook his head as he turned his back. It was Katie who was sweet and wanted to see good in people where there was very little. While she did have a knack for pulling out the last few threads of his compassion, she really didn't understand how wrong she was about him.

Still, he found it interesting that he wanted to maintain the illusion for her.

"Alright, you can turn around," she said and he turned to find her buried blissfully under his blankets and burrowing into the pillows.

He couldn't help the grin, "Comfortable?"

"Ridiculously," she sighed and closed her eyes. "Thank you for this."

"Don't mention it," he said shortly and began heading towards the door. "Sleep well."

"Sirius?"

He glanced back at her and she appeared to be struggling with her next sentence.

"Will you stay with me?"

His eyebrows shot up in response and she choked on a laugh, "Not like that. Just at least until I fall asleep? I'd rather not be alone if you don't mind."

Thinking he probably should mind but finding that he didn't, he nodded, "I'll transfigure a chair."

"Don't be ridiculous, this bed is enormous," she began scooching herself to far side of the bed like an inchworm, careful to stay fully wrapped in the blanket. Sirius found the movement both childish and charming. "See? There's plenty of room."

"I don't believe I've ever been invited to bed quite like this, Prewett," he chuckled but slipped off his shoes and grabbed one of the magazines on the dresser before climbing into the bed. He stayed on top of the blankets and sat up against the headboard next to her.

"Thanks, Starboy," she sighed sleepily and snuggled further into the blankets. "Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Katie," he replied softly but she had already drifted off into the beginnings of sleep. He sat for a moment and looked at her burrowed into the blankets on his bed and he suddenly found it strange that it hadn't been his childhood bedroom, or even his bedroom at the Potter's that he had offered.

No, he had offered her the only room that had ever been truly his. The one he'd spent most of the past summer in, waking up alone and satisfied in the knowledge that finally having his own place meant true freedom. Even James had only visited two or three times.

He was in trouble, he suddenly realized. And it shot through him like a bolt of lightning. She'd crawled inside his head like a damn song you can't stop singing and was stubbornly refusing to leave.

And Merlin's beard, he only kept encouraging it.

He closed his eyes and attempted to stem the unfamiliar flow of panic. Was this how James always felt around Lily, he wondered in irritation. Like a loose canon? Never sure how he would react around her? Sirius decided he didn't care for the feeling and scowled up at the ceiling.

Feelings, he decided, were rubbish. Why did anyone in their right minds enjoy this?

For a moment he considered getting the hell out of that room but as if knowing his thoughts, Katie turned over in her sleep and cuddled closer to him in an unconscious ploy to make him stay.

"Ah bollocks," he muttered.

With another few choice words under his breath, he pulled a blanket over his lap and fluffed the pillows behind him. As he settled back, she sighed in her sleep and he flipped open his motorcycle magazine with a shake of his head. He _was_ getting soft.

But then, running away from one's feelings could always wait until morning.

* * *

xoxo ASiriusObsession


	8. Chapter 8: About a Girl

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own J.K.s characters. Only Katie.**

 **Track 8:** About a Girl by The Academy Is

 _I'm not in love_

 _This is not your song_

 _I'm not gonna waste these words_

 _About a girl_

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Saturday, September 17, 1977**

Katie felt like she was floating. A gradual, almost luxurious reaching for consciousness that told her she'd slept better than she likely had since her parents had died. It was blissful and perfect and she very much wanted to snuggle in for a bit more. The trouble was she couldn't quite remember going to sleep or why she was positive she wasn't in her own bed and that was a bit concerning.

With her eyes still closed, she took stock of the situation.

Properly cozy. So wherever she was the pillows and blankets were _divine_. Not a bad start.

She also appeared to be in her knickers which meant at some point she had decided to take her clothes off. However, she wasn't naked so no immediate cause for alarm there.

She let herself edge further towards wakefulness and as she widened her blind sensory exploration she realized two things simultaneously. One, someone was lightly snoring next to her and, two, she quite suddenly remembered where she was.

Her first thought was 'oh, bollocks' and then, 'perhaps it's just a really barmy dream'.

To confirm, she opened a single eye to further assess things.

What she saw made her squeeze it tight again.

Because wouldn't it be Sirius Black sound asleep next to her? Not a dream then.

Careful not to move and wake him, she slowly opened her eyes and took a moment to just look at him.

He looked younger, she decided, with his face relaxed and his signature smirk gone. He was much less god-like when he wasn't strutting around the castle and one could almost imagine he was a flawed human like the rest of them.

And he'd been kind, she suddenly recalled and felt her stomach do a sort of uncomfortable flip flop. More than kind, he'd been understanding.

She glanced interestedly around his room. Every available wall space was plastered over with posters of wizard and muggle rock bands, the bed was a glorious mess but she could tell from the feel of the blankets that it was quality, and across the room the dresser and it's mirror were littered with pictures of Sirius with James, Remus, and Peter along with bits of mismatched Quidditch paraphernalia. Out the window, the view told her she was in a flat somewhere in London (despite knowing she was still in a castle in Scotland).

She glanced back at Sirius. The boy really was an enigma. All sorts of muddled up emotions and moods wrapped up inside a ridiculously handsome package. It could totally sweep a girl off her feet if she wasn't careful.

The thought made her stomach do another weird turn and she promptly decided that it was time to plan her escape.

Because really, she wasn't sure she could face Sirius Black after everything the night before. The scene with Mary and the pity party that followed were one thing, but _then_ she had unashamedly asked him to stay with her, something she had no right to do and absolutely shouldn't have done. And he had done it anyway. He had stayed.

And what did _that_ mean?

Bollocks, she thought again. If word of this got out she'd never live it down. She'd have to kiss Eddie goodbye, not to mention her nice, shiny reputation.

So why wasn't she running for the door? She quickly shot another look at Sirius to make sure her panicky thoughts hadn't woken him. She wasn't sure what was likely to happen if he suddenly opened his eyes and offered a sleepy 'good morning'.

Though she was starting to think she could guess.

But that was madness, she chastised herself. She was over romanticizing the situation. He'd only been nice that didn't mean he was in love with her for Merlin's sake. In fact, he'd been particularly drunk the night before and was likely to regret this whole situation entirely.

Which meant, she resolved, it was time to go. With any luck, he wouldn't remember much and they could both avoid a very awkward conversation.

She gently slipped from under the blankets, her eyes flying nervously back to Sirius' face with every creak of the bed. All in all, it felt like the longest sixty seconds of her life.

But finally she freed herself from the covers and dressing quickly found herself standing hesitantly at the door that led back to the castle corridor. She let her gaze rest once more on Sirius. It seemed wrong to leave without a proper thank you but somehow she suspected he'd rather not hear it. Her conscience content with that conclusion, she slipped silently into the corridor and left him sleeping in his own London flat inside the walls of Hogwarts.

* * *

"Blimey, do you think he's dead?" Peter asked rather loudly.

Too loudly. And why was it so bright?

"Nah, it'd take more than some whiskey and a girl to kill Padfoot," James replied equally as loudly.

Why the bloody hell was everyone so loud?

"Reckon he's got a hangover though," Remus suggested and his voice, at least, was a reasonable volume. "You can tell by the way he's scrunching up his nose."

"Should we pour some cold water on him?" Peter asked with a wicked grin.

Sirius cracked open a single, menacing eye and growled, "Try it, Wormtail, and you're a dead man."

"Ah! He lives!" James exclaimed and plopped down on the end of the bed. "Welcome back, mate. Having a good lie in, then?"

"I was until you lot barged in," Sirius pushed himself into a sitting position and glared against the bright sun coming in the windows. "This bloody room is too clever. Will someone cover the damn windows?"

Chuckling, Remus obliged and the room became blessedly dim.

"Ahh, much better," Sirius sighed and looked around the room. Katie Prewett, it seemed, was already long gone.

"You're alone," James confirmed but his face immediately split into a mocking grin. "Just a friend, eh Padsy?"

"Bugger off," Sirius responded gruffly and crawled out of bed still fully dressed. Bloody hell, he needed to eat or maybe just get ripping drunk again. Perhaps both.

"Well I would, you see, except I spotted Katie Prewett leaving this sweet little love nest this morning and inquiring minds want to know...did you shag her?" James wiggled his eyebrows expectantly and Remus and Peter laughed along with him.

Sirius lifted an elegant brow, "Do you think I'd be this irritated if I had?"

"Told you so," Remus said smugly. "You owe me five galleons, Prongs."

Despite losing the bet, James also appeared smug, "The poor girl was sad, drunk, and vulnerable and you didn't take advantage? I hate to break it to you mate, but you've got it bad."

"I haven't _got_ anything except a fucking headache," he snapped and ran the hairbrush that sat on his dresser through his long hair. Mates, he decided, were extremely overrated. "And I'm not having this conversation. Are you lot coming to breakfast or not?"

As Sirius stalked out of the Room of Requirement, the rest of the boys scrambled after.

"D'you know what I think?" James asked Remus and Peter as they followed him down the corridor. "I think Prewett's got under his skin and now he doesn't know what to do about it."

"Hard to imagine," Peter squeaked between chuckles.

Sirius paused to look back at them and his voice became a growl again, "Harder still to imagine what you'll all suffer if you don't bloody drop it."

Ignoring him, James looked up down at Peter as they simply continued down the corridor with Sirius watching darkly after them, "I bet she'll be at breakfast. Maybe we can ask her? D'you reckon she's over Eddie yet? Maybe she just needs a nudge. We could give her a nudge, what do you think Moony?"

Remus nodded as though considering the possible outcomes, "Won't know unless we try."

"Quite right, quite right," James agreed keeping his face serious as he glanced back at Sirius and then proceeded down the marble staircase. "Poor bloke, doesn't even know what hit him."

"Oy!" Sirius exclaimed and took off after them as they headed towards the Great Hall. Considering the mood James was in, he wouldn't have put it past him to try it and the last thing he needed at that moment was an awkward conversation with Katie Prewett. Bounding down the stairs after them he shouted, "I swear on Godric Gryffindor's grave I'm going to fill all of your beds with Mooncalf dung."

They didn't seem to hear him.

* * *

 **Tuesday, September 20, 1977**

Fortunately for Sirius, and likely to Katie's advantage as well, she wasn't at breakfast that morning and they wouldn't run into her at a single meal for the rest of the weekend.

Which, of course, she had done on purpose. Sirius never missed a meal and, knowing this, she had slipped silently in near the end of most meals to grab the nearest thing to the end of the table and escape back to her four poster with it.

Not the most subtle way to avoid talking to him. But effective.

The downside to the arrangement was spending too much time on her own and, hence, thinking far too much about how embarrassing her whole Friday evening had been. This resulted in a quite a lot of anxiety as she made her way to Potions on Tuesday morning to meet up with Eddie.

At this point, she couldn't be sure _what_ he might have heard.

Since she'd skipped breakfast, she was likely to be one of the first students to the classroom. Thinking this would give her some time to decide how to explain everything to Eddie, she wasn't prepared to find him already in the dungeon with their potion practically set up already.

She froze and very nearly turned back around but realized she'd have to face him eventually. And it was better that it was in front of two or three people than the entire class, she reasoned miserably. Taking a deep breath she headed over to the table.

At the sound of her approach, Eddie looked up quickly and gave her a smile so sunny that she could almost imagine he hadn't heard a word about her weekend. Almost.

"Alright then, Katie?" he asked lightly as she set her bag on the table.

Katie clasped her hands together nervously and studied the table intently, "Yes, I'm alright."

"Sure about that?" he insisted and her stomach dropped to her toes. He had definitely heard about Sirius then and suddenly she felt completely, irrationally angry at the whole situation. Really, she'd been expecting this but it was still complete rubbish. There wasn't anything going on between her and Sirius and Eddie should _know_ that.

She decided to tell him so, "Listen, Eddie. I don't know what you heard but I promise it wasn't what it sounded like. Everyone had had a lot to drink and I was upset and-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Eddie held up his hands and gave her another lovely smile. "You don't think I blame _you_ for what happened do you?"

Katie just stared at him, "Why wouldn't you?"

"Listen, Prewett. If anyone should be apologizing for anything, it's me. I feel like I made you the perfect target for Mary and her bloody drama."

"Oh," she replied softly and considered his earnest expression. Maybe he hadn't heard about her disappearing with Sirius. Merlin, she didn't want to get her hopes up. "Well, thanks. But it's certainly not your fault she's so unstable. I suppose I do feel bad for hitting her though."

Eddie's laugh was infectious, "The way I hear it, she's lucky you didn't blow her to bits."

Katie felt her cheeks immediately flush, "It crossed my mind."

Impressed by her candor, Eddie couldn't suppress another chuckle. He shook his head in apparent approval, "Nothing sexier than a bird who can properly handle her business. No white knights for you then, eh Prewett?"

"Erm, no I s'pose not," she laughed lightly and began unpacking her books and parchment as she was having trouble looking him in the eye. "So, uh, who told you about what happened with Mary?"

"Sirius Black actually," Eddie answered and Katie nearly dropped her Potions book. "Said he wanted to make sure I got the whole story since he was sure Mary was going to come around telling her own version of it. Which she did. He seemed to think you'd suffered enough."

Katie felt an all too familiar flip flop in her stomach but at the same time an incredible weight lifted off her shoulders, "That was kind of him."

Eddie snorted, "Too right it was. Not one for that sort of thing is he?"

"No," she shook her head. "No he isn't."

At this point, their classmates had started to file in and Eddie thankfully decided to change the subject, "So! Assessment day. Do you think we'll pass?"

She couldn't repress a grin, "I think our chances are good."

"Well I've faith in you," he said with a doubtful expression. "But I could have mucked it up."

"Nonsense," she dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand and a smile just as she spotted Sirius walk in with James and Remus. He didn't even glance their way. She forced herself to look back at Eddie, "I tested it yesterday afternoon. It's textbook. Slughorn will be impressed, I promise."

Eddie looked like he wasn't convinced but with all the chaos in her life currently the one thing she did know without a doubt was that Slughorn would pass them.

And, of course, he did.

He gushed over their potion nearly as long as he had over Lily Evans' which was impressive on it's own. And then, he gave them full marks. He even questioned Eddie on some of the potion's more abstract properties and nearly fell over in his excitement when Eddie had answered perfectly.

"Miss Prewett has been a good influence on you, Mr. Bones," Slughorn declared and winked at Katie. "I expect you to keep up the good work. Nicely done, my dears."

As he moved on to the next pair, Eddie shook his head in wonder, "I've never gotten full marks on a Potions project ever. You're brilliant, you are."

"Well you did half the work," Katie insisted, though she knew she'd tweaked a few things here and there to really pull it off properly. Still, he'd answered all of Slughorn's questions with no help from her. She was starting to suspect he was much more clever than he wanted anyone to know.

"It was easy with such a lovely partner," he informed her and slung his rucksack over his shoulder as they made their way out of the dungeon together. "So are we still on for Hogsmeade?"

"Absolutely," she said and felt a bit like she was on top of the world. After all the worst case scenarios she'd worried over in her head all weekend, she couldn't have imagined the morning going half so well.

"Ace," he replied with a grin. "I was thinking we could join my mates. There will be a few couples. We usually start at the Three Broomsticks and then find someplace cozier, if you know what I mean."

She felt her heart jump a little in anticipation. Oh, she knew. Eddie was almost as famous for his snogging sessions as James Potter and Sirius Black were. She smiled up at him as they reached the top of the dungeon stairs and paused, "Sounds brilliant."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side as their classmates started to push past them. He smirked confidently down at her, "It's a date then, Miss Prewett."

"A date", she agreed and to add a cherry on top of her perfect morning he lifted her hands and placed a skin tingling kiss on each one.

He nodded his goodbye as he headed towards the marble staircase for his next class, "See you soon, love."

"Bye," she replied softly and hugged her Potions book close to her chest in happiness while she watched him go. Merlin, what a morning.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Katie was still feeling like she was on Cloud 9 as she headed down to check on her colony of bowtruckles. They had been incredibly stubborn when she and Kettleburn had tried to transplant their tree the morning before and they'd been unable to move the tree. Perhaps, given the day she was having, she'd have more luck today.

Besides, her soul was yearning for some peace. Between her own new found social life, the party over the weekend, and term finally going full swing, she had had very little time for herself that didn't include hiding in one's four poster from a bloke you'd rather not see.

And she was longing to get her hands dirty.

As she walked down the hill towards the greenhouses, she could just make out the tiny red blurs that told her the Gryffindor Quidditch team was practicing and to the left she could see Kettleburn taking Apollo on a walk around the track behind the stables. Everyone and everything was distant for the moment and she couldn't have been happier about it.

When she arrived at Greenhouse 5, she began digging around in her pockets for the key when she noticed that the door was not only already unlocked but unlatched. Frowning in curiosity, she pushed the door open wondering who else had decided to take sanctuary in the greenhouses that evening.

She was promptly greeted by a rather profuse amount of swearing.

"Gerroff me you bloody useless fucking thing. I swear on my mother's frozen heart I'll cut all your sodding tentacles off. All of them! And I don't make empty threats, mate."

Despite the fact that she had spent the better part of three days trying to avoid him, Katie couldn't help but find herself extremely amused to find Sirius Black all alone in her greenhouse, wrapped in a juvenile Venomous Tentacula's vines, and absolutely furious about it.

In an attempt to make good on his threat, he tried to reach for the wand in his back pocket but the Tentacula had been inching its way into said pocket and promptly lifted the wand out of his reach when he made a grab for it.

"Oh this is fucking shite."

Katie cleared her throat, and watched in even greater amusement as Sirius froze and slowly turned to look at his guest. She tilted her head to the side contemplating his situation, "Need some help?"

He scowled darkly at her, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," she lifted a brow. "Looks like you're having a bit of trouble there. Is she a friend of yours?"

"I wouldn't call her a friend," Sirius snapped and let out a particularly menacing growl when the plant wrapped another of its vines around his right leg.

"You know, you're lucky it's a baby. If it was full grown you'd be unconscious right now," she began making her way over to a large metal bin across from Sirius. Inside, Chizpurfles were held in a sort of stasis until they were ready to be fed to the Tentaculas. Lifting the lid, she pointed her wand at the plant wrapped around Sirius and murmured, " _Lumos duo_."

A beam of light shot straight from her wand to the plant and immediately the Chizpurfles began to move and dart about. When four or five of them had attached to the beam from her wand, she quickly closed the bin and waited while the Tentacula gobbled up it's treat and slowly began releasing Sirius.

As the vines released their grasp, Sirius quickly brushed the thin arms off his own body parts and quickly moved a safe distance away.

Katie couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her chest. She hadn't thought it possible to see Sirius quite so out of his element.

"Think this is funny do you?" he scowled at her and pushed his long hair out of his eyes. There were tears in his sleeves and pants and a few spots here and there had begun to bleed where the Tentacula had gripped too hard. All in all, he was very nearly on the verge of drowning the damn plant in the Black Lake and just taking the failing grade.

"Of course it's funny," Katie laughed again and brought Sirius back from his murderous thoughts. "It's not everyday Sirius Black needs rescuing, is it?"

"I didn't need rescuing," he insisted but sucked in a quick breath when he bent over to pick up his rucksack and felt a sharp pain along his ribcage. He winced, "It's lucky you came along or it would be at the bottom of the lake by now."

"Oh now is that anyway to talk about such a sweet baby," she cooed and walked over to give the plant a scratch along it's stalk all the while keeping an eye on Sirius as he investigated the rather nasty cut on his side. The plant immediately curled it's vines in ecstasy and released Sirius' wand as it wiggled the rest of it's leaves appreciatively. She scooped up the wand and sighed, "There now. You just have to be nice to it, that's all. What are you doing with the poor thing, anyway?"

Sirius hissed out another breath as he pressed on the cut, it was considerably worse than he'd thought and was starting to look distinctly green around the edges. Damn it all, he was going to have to go see Pomfrey. He sent a sideways glance at Katie and his traitorous Herbology project, "Sprout has us researching ways to increase the potency of venomous plants for defensive purposes. James had the bright idea of volunteering me to take that bloody, overgrown flytrap."

"And where's James then? Shouldn't you both be at Quidditch practice?" Katie turned the heating lamp on above the Tentacula but kept her eyes on Sirius. He was beginning to look paler than she liked. If he'd been messing with the plant's venom he might have gotten worse than a few scratches.

"Aye, we should. And he is, the bloody git," he winced again and suddenly decided a stool sounded better than a walk up to the castle. He was beginning to feel slightly sick. "He thought up some clever plan to get us all out of Herbology early this afternoon and I ended up taking the blame for it when it went sour. He wasn't after another lecture from Dumbledore. Sprout made me stay late to feed all the plants as punishment. Have I mentioned how rubbish mates are?"

Another kindness, she marveled. He was proving to be less and less the bloke she had always thought he was.

"Oh they're not so bad," she soothed and moved quickly when she realized he was beginning to tilt sideways off the stool. She caught his arm and propped him back up against the table. She frowned, "Where does it hurt, then?"

Feeling like he might throw up if he opened his mouth, he pointed to his side under the arm she had just grabbed. It felt like a large needle had just stabbed itself between his ribs.

Moving his arm gently out of the way, she investigated through the hole in his shirt and was not pleased with the green, puffy wound on his side. She sighed and handed him his wand back, "Take off your shirt."

"This is hardly the time to get frisky, Prewett," he ground out between his teeth as he took the wand. "Not sure I'm in top form at the moment."

"If I'm going to help I need to see properly, you big randy idiot," she snapped and the grin he sent her way made her feel better about his condition. "Now off with it and give me some light."

"Alright, alright Nurse Ratched," he grumbled and painfully lifted his shirt over his head. He glanced down at the wound and then quickly away as he lit his wand. He didn't need any help with the rolling of his stomach. "What do you intend to do?"

"Healing hands, remember?" she said in exasperation and wiggled her fingers at him. "Now hold still, this will likely hurt."

"I'm not going to let you - BLOODY HELL, WOMAN!"

Katied grinned, holding the venomous spike in front of his face, "Getting that out will help speed things along. Now stop being such a bloody hero and let me take care of it."

"I'm not going to let you poison yourself for-"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, shut up!" she exclaimed and glared at him when he opened his mouth to protest again. "I'm not a helpless maiden. I can handle a little pain. Now _keep. still._ "

Sensing he wasn't in any condition to argue and feeling uncomfortably like he was going to vomit again, he finally nodded his head and lifted his wand again for light.

"Thank you," she replied and pressed cool fingers around the wound as she investigated. It appeared she had gotten the entire thorn out and the skin was warm to the touch but not hot. It would it only take a moment to draw the poison out and close up the wound. She closed her eyes and began to imagine the process in her mind.

Merlin, she smelled good was the first thought that crossed Sirius' mind as she bent over him and closed her eyes. The thought distracted from the nausea so he let it wander. This was twice now she'd healed him and too many times to count now where they'd been intimately alone. He was starting to wonder why he even bothered protesting it anymore.

When he felt the familiar tingle of the pain leaving his skin, he closed his eyes and tried not to think about the pain echoing in her own body. It was one thing to let her help, it was another to let her suffer for him. If he hadn't felt quite like dying a few moments before he might have fought a little harder. Still, her hands on his skin had definitely improved his mood.

"So who is Nurse Ratched, anyway?" she asked quizzically, blessedly pulling him from a train of thought that was going nowhere good.

Sirius opened his eyes hesitantly. She was standing in front of him with an expectant look on her face, not visibly in any pain, and his side felt brilliantly better. He rolled his shoulders and ribs to test it and found not so much as an ache leftover. He shook his head impressed, "You've more than magic in those hands, I swear."

"You're welcome. But you didn't answer my question."

"Nurse Ratched?" he repeated and pulled his shirt back on over his head. "Not a fan of Muggle films then, eh?"

"You watch Muggle films?" she laughed and shook her head. "Bet your mum loved that."

"Oh she hated it," he grinned. "Which of course is why I insisted upon collecting them. Nurse Ratched was a character in one of my favorite American films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's about a man in a mental ward and Nurse Ratched is his warden. Cruel and cold as women come, that one. She's brilliant."

"Charming," Katie replied dryly.

"I do have my moments," he agreed and began collecting his things. "Is it working?"

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes and grimaced a little as the phantom pain in her side throbbed.

His eyes narrowed, "I knew I shouldn't have let you do that."

"Oh calm down," she waved a hand dismissively at him as she sat down on a nearby stool. "It'll pass in a moment. And it's nothing compared to what you were feeling. Besides, I owe you a few favors."

"I told you you don't owe me anything, Prewett," he answered coldy and she suddenly sensed a wall go up that she'd never felt from him before. "Whatever it is you think you owe me, forget about it."

"I tried," she said softly and sighed as the pain finally passed. "I was going to let you have your hero moment after rescuing me this weekend, Merlin knows I was mortified enough. But then you had to go and do it again, didn't you? Does anyone else know about this charitable streak you've got, Starboy?"

"What are you on about?' he fixed her with a scowl. "I didn't do anything."

"You went and spoke to Eddie," she insisted. "Found him before Mary could, warned him off. Told him the truth but conveniently left out that you spent the night with me. Why is that?"

She hadn't consciously decided to call him out but finding him defensive and simply refusing to let her say thank you made her want to poke him a little harder. There was something going on under all those defensive layers that didn't quite make sense to her yet.

Sirius, however, knew exactly what she was poking at and had firmly locked the door on it. She could poke all she wanted, he'd made his choice. And so he shrugged indifferently, "I only told him what he needed to know."

"I see. Well thank you," she responded softly.

"I told you not to thank me. You don't owe me anything," he snapped uncomfortably. Godric's beard, why couldn't she just let well enough alone.

"Fine," she said firmly. "Then let me do this because I want to. You're never going to pass this project without some help. Tentaculas don't respond well to profanity and I happen to be particularly good with them."

"I don't need your help," he argued and began shaking his head. "I can handle-"

"Handle her like you did tonight?" she asked innocently.

Sirius glared at her, "I had it under control."

"You're lucky I didn't find you unconscious on the floor when I got here," she snorted.

"I would have taken care of it," he insisted but Katie wasn't giving up.

She lifted both brows, "I suppose you could have drowned it, poor thing. But Sprout won't pass you without proper marks on this project. What will James say when you don't enter Auror training together next year?"

"My marks are better than his any day," Sirius scoffed and shook his head again. "I don't need your help."

"Right well, I'll just let her finish working her way up your leg again then," she told him and laughed when he jumped to his feet effectively dislodging the plant. She grinned, "Perhaps she fancies you after all."

"Oy!" he exclaimed. "You could have warned me."

"Face it," she said ignoring his half-hearted outrage. "You do need my help. Sprout is never going to pass you if you don't do something truly clever with this plant and at this point you can't even get it to behave."

Sirius gave her a distinctly harassed look and grumbled, "I'm never going to be rid of you, am I?"

One side of her mouth lifted in a half smile, the same thought had crossed her own mind, "Seems not."

He shook his head, "I'm going to regret this."

"I knew you were too clever to turn me down," she beamed at him and stuck a hand out. "Mates, then?"

Sirius contemplated her hand for a moment, wondering just where he had gone wrong. She wanted to be mates and he thought regularly about getting her out of her knickers. He glanced up at her wondering if she truly knew what she was getting herself into and decided it served her right. He'd tried to stay away and she simply hadn't let him. If she wanted to jump off the proverbial cliff the consequences were on her head now. It seemed she truly did have a knack for getting involved with the worst blokes.

He took her hand with a look that was both challenge and acceptance, "Mates then."

"Right," she said, pleased and as yet unaware of just what she had set in motion. "We'll begin your lessons tomorrow night. 7pm sharp."

* * *

"You're tutoring, Sirius Black?" Alice replied skeptically after Katie had explained the odd and amusing encounter she had had earlier that day. Alice was laying across Katie's four poster, periodically digging through the bag of Bertie Bott's sitting between them and looking as though her best mate was totally batty.

"Not tutoring," Katie corrected and casually chose a purple jelly bean. " _Helping_."

"Call it what you like but since when aren't you terrified that Eddie will find out about your little one on one sessions with Sirius? I thought he was enemy number one. Ugh, that one was earwax," Alice made a face and pushed the bag of jelly beans closer to Katie.

"Well I suppose he's not as bad as I thought and he and Eddie talked this weekend after all that ridiculousness and everything was fine," Katie shrugged and chose another jelly bean. "If you'd seen him today you'd understand why I have to help. You know how important that project is in Advanced Herbology. We're going to need people like him if we're about to fight a war when we leave here and to do that he has to pass Herbology first."

"Oh I understand it all perfectly," Alice replied dryly and sat up. "You fancy him."

Katie nearly choked on her jelly bean, "Pardon?"

"You heard me," she laughed and shook her head. "You are head over your bloody heels for the bloke. Merlin help us."

"I do not _fancy_ Sirius Black," Katie sputtered and her insides fluttered a little with suppressed panic. What the panic stemmed from, however, she was unsure about. "Can't a girl just be friends with a bloke? We get on. We have things to talk about, he's kind to me. And what are you shaking you head at?"

Alice was chuckling to herself like Katie had truly lost her mind, "Do you even hear yourself? When was the last time you knew Sirius Black to spend any amount of time with a witch and just be her mate? It's a physical impossibility for him."

Katie's brain started stumbling over her excuses and she looked at Alice helplessly, "But I swear it's not like that. Don't you think he would have _done_ something if that's where this was going. Since we're on the subject of things Sirius doesn't do, I'm pretty sure he doesn't do patience."

Alice gave her a knowing look, "Oh my sweet, innocent girl. A good hunter knows not to spook it's prey. And you my dear are easily scared off. Plus, think about it. Has he spent a single moment with any other witch since term started?"

"How should I know?" Katie jumped to her feet and began pacing back and forth in front of Alice. "I don't keep track of his romantic habits. For Merlin's sake, he's been helping me date another bloke. This is madness."

"I couldn't agree more," Alice laughed and grinned at her best mate.

"Then how can you even think that I fancy him?" Katie demanded and threw her hands in the air.

"Because I know you," Alice answered simply and tilted her head to the side. "You've been looking at Eddie Bones like a love sick puppy since the third year and since you started this business with Sirius Black you never even talk about him anymore. You have a bloody date with him soon, he kissed you _in public_ today, and the only person you've talked about all evening is Sirius."

"I was going to tell you about Eddie!" Katie protested and scowled. "But you started in on this madness about Sirius and have very nearly given me a panic attack."

Alice sighed and climbed off the bed to stop her friend pacing, "Okay, okay, Prewett. Calm down. Maybe I'm crazy and you're right. Maybe there isn't anything going on but I need to say this at least this one time. Be careful, with either of them okay? You're better than either of them deserve."

Katie let out a breath she'd been holding, "Of course I'll be careful."

"Good," Alice said and gave her a quick, tight hug and a grin. "Now. How's your Charms essay coming? I'm three inches short and I'm completely out of ideas."

* * *

xoxo ASiriusObsession


	9. Chapter 9: Boys Like You

**Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and your patience. This chapter gave me some trouble and I had a lot going on so I'm sorry for the delay but I hope it was worth the wait. As always, the only character that is mine is Katie :)**

 **Track 9: Boys Like You by Anna Clendening**

Momma said there'd be boys like you  
Tearing my heart in two, doing what you do, best  
Taking me for a ride, telling me pretty little lies  
But with you, I can't resist

Before I met you, I never felt good enough  
Before I let you, in, I'd already given up  
Left on read, no reply, left me just wondering why  
Now I'm skeptical of love

So when you hold my hand, do you wanna hold my heart?  
When you say you want me, is it all of me or just one part?  
So when you hold my hand, do you wanna hold my heart?  
When you say you want me

* * *

 **Wednesday, September 21, 1977**

The next day proved to be one of those days where the weather outside made it simply unfair to be indoors. Every window let in a bright stream of unusually warm September sunshine and windows and doors had been left open by house elves throughout the castle to let in the pleasant autumn breeze. For everyone except Katie, it was unbearable.

"It really is cruel that McGonagall is making us study theory on a day like today," Alice muttered, staring longingly out the open window towards the castle grounds. "I bet Flitwick is conducting his classes outside."

"It's important information," Katie scolded but sent her own glance out the window. "The Transfiguration portion of the N.E.W.T.s is supposed to be incredibly difficult. McGonagall insists that the theory is essential to wandless transfiguration."

"Do you always have to be so logical?"

Katie smiled knowingly as she underlined the last sentence she'd written, "One of us has to be."

"Ugh," Alice sighed. "I will never understand how you can just sit for hours and take notes."

"Incredible self-control," Katie replied dryly and bit her lip as she contemplated the next section. "Now hush so I can concentrate."

Alice grudgingly began taking notes again but someone else decided to fill the silence in her place.

"How many pages of notes have you taken, Prewett?" Sirius asked as he slid into the seat in front of her. It was like he'd appeared out of nowhere. "You don't actually go back and read those do you?"

"Are you lot really this incapable of studying?" Katie demanded and scowled at Sirius. With Alice's accusations still fresh in her mind from the night before she really wasn't in the mood for his teasing. "And as a matter of fact, I do go back and read them."

"She even bewitches especially important parts to be a different color," Alice confided as though it was especially unbelievable.

Sirius looked at the blonde sympathetically and wrinkled his nose, "Remus does that as well."

"That's because _some_ of us value our education," Katie hissed and glanced up at the front of the classroom to make sure McGonagall was still safely at her desk. She propped her book up farther in an effort to deter further conversation, "Now if you would both kindly shut up, I'm reading."

As if on cue, someone else joined the party.

"Oy, Prewett!" James Potter sauntered into the room with a grin and made a beeline for Katie.

"Mr. Potter, I trust you have a good excuse for being late?" McGonagall interrupted, eyeing him expectantly. Though rather indulgently, Katie thought in annoyance.

He gave her a roguish smile and waved the piece of parchment in his hand theatrically, "Yes of course Professor. I just came from the Headmaster. I have a note."

He waltzed up to the desk to deliver his note and then made his way to the back of the room where Katie, Alice, and Sirius were supposed to be studying. With a glance over his shoulder to make sure McGonagall had gone back to reading her book, he plopped down in the seat next to Katie and slapped a letter on her desk.

He grinned, "Special delivery!"

Katie eyed the letter suspiciously as though she thought it might explode, "What's this?"

"Psh," James scoffed and crossed his arms. "Not even a thank you? I don't play delivery boy for just anyone, you know."

Katie wasn't impressed, "What is it, Potter?"

"At a guess? Probably a poorly written love letter," he replied smuggly and shrugged.

"From who?" Katie asked lifting it gently with her quill and still wondering if it might burst into flame.

"Everyone's least favorite Hufflepuff, of course," James said and leaned back in his chair. "Found some poor little first year worrying herself to death outside the classroom, said some seventh year boy had asked her to deliver his letter to you in exchange for getting her out of class. You know as Head Boy, I really should give him detention for that."

"Eddie?" Katie said in surprise and reached to open the letter. Why would he have sent her a letter? Maybe he was backing out, maybe he'd changed his mind. He couldn't have found out about her helping Sirius already, could he? Their first lesson wasn't until that evening. Could Mary have convinced him to change his mind?

Attempting to calm her panicked thoughts, she took a deep breath and broke the seal. Immediately, the paper began to shimmer in her hands and she quickly set it down on the desk. Slowly it began to peel itself back and before she could even blink it suddenly became a beautiful red rose.

"Oh, how lovely!" Alice exclaimed and reached out to gently touch the petals of the rose.

Katie felt a bit breathless, "Just beautiful."

"Who knew Bones was a Charms wiz?" James joined in and grinned expectantly at Sirius. This was going better than he'd even hoped.

"Reckon he bribed someone to do that for him as well," Sirius muttered darkly. After years of going to head to head with Eddie Bones on the Quidditch field, Sirius knew too well that Eddie was clever but hardly imaginative enough to come up with a charm like that. In fact, there were probably only a handful of people in the castle who could create such flawless Charms work, let alone dream it up.

Katie, however, wasn't listening to Sirius or anyone else's opinions on the matter. There had been very little actual romance in her life where men were concerned and she was finding that she rather enjoyed it. Alice could take her conspiracies about Sirius and drown them in the lake. Katie was totally still head over heels for Eddie Bones.

"Helloooooo, earth to Katie," Alice laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. "Blimey, I think we've lost her."

"Oh shut up then," Katie laughed and grinned as she twirled the rose between her fingers. "It is sweet though isn't it?"

"More like nauseating," Sirius countered and pretended to gag as he and James chuckled.

"Mad you didn't think of it first, Black?" Alice asked innocently and James gave her a particularly wide, encouraging grin.

Katie gave Alice a warning look but Sirius only laughed, "If I was going to romance a girl like Katie Prewett I wouldn't waste my time on charms and flowers."

"Oh?" Alice replied in surprise and Katie sighed at her meddling best mate. She was starting to feel like even _if_ in some alternate universe Sirius had liked her as Alice suspected, the nosy blonde would have ruined it anyway.

Sirius, however, came to the rescue again and gave Alice a smug look before turning back around in his seat, "A master never reveals his secrets, love."

"Sounds like he plans to reveal them to _someone_ though doesn't it?" James asked innocently and Alice lifted an interested brow in response that suggested she and James needed to discuss the situation further.

Nutters, Katie mused darkly. They were both nutters.

"Mr. Potter is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

To Katie's great relief, McGonagall seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and stood waiting expectantly for James's answer.

"Not at all, Professor," James replied with a charming smile. "We were actually just discussing the finer points of wandless Transfiguration theory. Prewett seems to think that Finnigan's Minimalist Theory is the most logical place to start with application but I'm a fan of Dobson's Magical Mental Mimicry myself."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and the side of her mouth twitched suspiciously as though she were trying not to smile, "I highly suggest you take Miss Prewett's recommendation. Without the fundamentals learned from Finnigan you will never master the Mimicry. Now kindly return to your studying."

Thankful for small favors, Katie quickly buried herself in her notes again before anyone got any more bright ideas. The fact that James seemed to side with Alice was making her start to itch slightly with anxiety and she really just wanted to finish taking her notes in peace.

Her eyes landed on the rose again, however, and the anxious itch started to fade a little. Perhaps it _was_ a bad day for taking notes. Daydreaming about roses and first dates definitely seemed more appealing. Even with James and Alice throwing each other notes behind her back.

Sirius, however, was not so easily distracted and the look he sent James as he chucked another note at Alice said clearly that he would pay for his moment of fun.

* * *

Thankfully, note taking and unsolicited opinions on one's love life were in much shorter supply throughout the rest of the day and Katie was feeling very happy in her own little bubble as she left her private study with Kettleburn later that afternoon.

They'd finally been able to move the bowtruckle colony into a small grove along the edge of the Forbidden Forest and she'd also started to make some headway in getting Artemis to trust her after the Quidditch pitch incident. It had been a perfect day despite her obnoxious mates playing at matchmakers and she glanced down happily at the red rose sticking out from her textbook as she walked up the hill towards the castle. Just perfect.

Intent on the rose and perhaps daydreaming just a little, she nearly fell over when she ran smack into a rather broad chest standing at the base of the stairs to the front doors.

Two strong hands reached out to steady her as she nearly fell backwards and she looked up to find Eddie's handsome smile, "I see you got my note."

Katie felt her face get hot and knew she was probably a mortifying shade of red just then, "Um, well yes I did. It's just lovely, Eddie! Thank you."

"You're welcome," he adjusted the broom over his shoulder and ran a hand through clean, damp hair. He appeared to have just come from the locker rooms. "Headed to dinner? I'm starved."

"As a matter of fact I was," she smiled happily and fell into step beside him. "Have a productive practice?"

Growing up with mostly male cousins, she had learned the ins and outs of Quidditch at a young age and even after discovering she was rubbish on a broom she still found herself fascinated by the strategy involved in the game.

He wrinkled his nose in thought, "I'm having some trouble with my new Seeker. She's a little green but the rest of the team works together like a charm."

"I'd forgotten Denali graduated last year," Katie replied sympathetically. "I heard she got signed to the Harpies this summer. Personally, I think she'll be on the field in 6 months. Their current Seeker is utter rubbish in a close game. Denali could fly circles around him."

Eddie gave her a surprised grin and bumped his shoulder against hers, "I didn't take you for a Quidditch fan."

"Don't get me wrong," Katie laughed and sent him a bemused smile. "I'm rubbish on a broomstick. But I love the game."

"Well that's all that matters," he replied easily and glanced down at her with an adorably tilted smile. "I'd be happy to take you up sometime. Go for an evening ride. In fact, how about tonight? I have to catch up with a study group after dinner but I could be free around seven."

Suddenly feeling terribly guilty, Katie bit her lip, "That sounds amazing but I have a, erm, tutoring session at seven for Herbology. Maybe another night?"

"No problem," he said and placed a light finger under her chin as they paused outside the Great Hall. His lips tilted again, "Let's make sure you don't forget."

He leaned down and kissed her quickly but thoroughly.

She was surprised that her knees didn't suddenly buckle.

After a moment, he pulled away and her small sigh made him grin, "Will that do the trick?"

"Mmm, quite likely," she replied happily and he laughed as they walked into the Great Hall together.

"Good," he said and glanced over his shoulder at her once more before heading to the Hufflepuff table. "I'm already looking forward to next time."

Next time, indeed, she thought warmly and went to find Alice.

* * *

Splat.

"Oy!" James sputtered and wiped the slime that now covered his face in disgust as he entered the boys' dormitory later that afternoon to change before Quidditch practice. "Is this mud?"

"Fresh from the lake," Sirius assured him with a wicked grin. "Foul isn't it?"

James sniffed and visibly shuddered, "Incredibly. What have I done then?"

"You're a bloody git," Sirius growled and lifted a single eyebrow. He'd been waiting all day to get James right where he wanted him. "You're going to scare off Prewett before Eddie is even out of the picture. Let a wizard work his magic, Prongs."

"Is this you admitting you have feelings for her?" James grinned triumphantly through the mud on his face and waltzed over to his trunk to dig out a towel.

"Do feelings below the waist count?" Sirius asked in amusement and James rolled his eyes.

"Mate, any feelings with you count when you've gone this long without trying to shag her," James replied dryly and vigorously scrubbed his face.

"Well I _am_ trying to shag her," Sirius replied casually and leaned back against the headboard on his bed. "But I'm not going to get anywhere if you keep interfering. We don't all go completely daft just because of a pretty bird. Besides I've got a plan."

"To romance her?" James asked nonchalantly and ducked when Sirius chucked a shoe at his head. He came up laughing, he knew Sirius better than anyone in the universe and James knew Sirius never put this much effort into a female. Something was different this time, "Alright, Padfoot. Have it your way. But based on Alice's reaction today, I'm not the only one who thinks there's something going on between the two of you and I _don't_ mean getting her into a broom closet."

"I wouldn't mind a damn broom closet at the moment. She could use a good snog," Sirius muttered and got to his feet to stare broodingly out the tower window. He sincerely wished that all he wanted _was_ an hour in a bloody broom closet.

The truth of the matter was that despite his feelings that Katie deserved whatever happened between them, he was starting to come to the realization that he perhaps _did_ care about her feelings in the matter and for the first time in a very long time he didn't quite know what to do with himself.

He had ideas... mostly involving seducing her into submission, but he had a feeling that was only a short term solution and one that was only going to temporarily satisfy.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to drag it out of you?" James asked when Sirius only continued to stare out the window.

Sirius suddenly felt like throwing himself out the window was preferable to the conversation he was about to have but no matter what he did he couldn't get Katie out of his head and that meant he was going to have to get involved. Beyond a broom closet. Which he had no doubt would delight James to no end.

Scowling he turned to face James, "I'm going to snog her tonight."

James simply raised his brows, "Oh?"

"Oh don't bloody patronize me," Sirius snapped and rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation. "She hasn't given me any choice. I _tried_ to stay away. It's her own damn fault."

James paused for a moment trying to decide how to handle this. He never thought he'd see the day when Sirius actually fell for a girl and it both amused him and pulled at his gut to know that Sirius was struggling with it and probably always would. Feeling like he deserved any sort of affection had always been hard for his brother and Katie Prewett was going to challenge that struggle every day for the rest of their lives because caring for things was what she did best. That is, once she came around to Sirius' way of thinking.

He wondered briefly how many times Sirius would fuck it up before he got it right. He had a feeling snogging her before her date with Eddie probably wouldn't end well but he had the distinct impression that Sirius already knew that.

And having himself wanted a girl with every ounce of his soul, he couldn't fault him for the decision.

James sighed, "She's not going to be pleased about it."

"Maybe I don't want her to be pleased about it," Sirius answered with a jerky shrug. "Maybe I want her to be as uncomfortable as I am."

James couldn't contain a chuckle, "I think you might be in for one hell of a ride."

Sirius lifted a disdainful brow that reminded James strongly that his brother did in fact have Black blood running through his veins, "I'm counting on it."

* * *

"Prewett, I'm not going to sweet talk a bloody plant."

Sirius was standing in front of his Herbology project in a defensive stance and looking very much like he was thinking of chucking the plant in the lake again. Or maybe taking his Beater bat to it. He'd come straight from practice and the bat was sitting in the corner. All it would take was one good swing...

"Do you want it to trust you, or not? C'mon, Starboy. You have lots of experience with this. Just pretend it's a pretty girl," Katie smiled encouragingly. For a boy who willingly let a bewitched, lethal ball fly at his face for hours on end, it was ridiculous to think a plant could make him uncomfortable.

"Maybe if you stand behind it, I'll have more success," he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Softened by her encounter with Eddie before dinner, she chose to ignore this bit rather than hexing him as she might have done that morning. She gave him an exasperated look, "Just tell her she's a good girl."

Sirius let out an annoyed breath and turned back to the Tentacula, "Alright, you bloody taskmaster."

As he approached the plant, it began curling it's vines defensively. He watched a pair slither out and around to come at him from behind and nearly swore. Damn, sneaky, carnivorous plant was going to ruin his plans for the evening. He edged away from the creeping vines and planted himself firmly in front of its mouth, "Who's a good girl then?"

He paused, and glanced back at Katie. She nodded enthusiastically. The vines around him seemed to have stopped moving at least. It was progress. He let a b

reath out through his nose, this next part was going to make him feel like an arse. He reached up and gently scratched it's stalk, "There's a fine girl. Gorgeous girl. Wouldn't you like a snack?"

The plan Katie had suggested to increase the plant's venom required it to eat and so far it would only take the potion-laced Chizpurfles from her. Not ideal if he was going to convince Sprout this had all been his doing, though he _had_ brewed the potion but he didn't think Sprout would care overmuch.

"Lovely," Katie said, quietly amused at the gentleness in his voice. "Now, offer her a treat. They're really quite sweet if you can get them to trust you."

"And I bet you think freshly hatched Grindylows are adorable too," Sirius muttered sarcastically and coaxed a Chizpurfle from the box next to him.

"Have you _seen_ a freshly hatched Grindylow?" she replied indignantly. "Of course I think they're cute."

Caught off guard, he snorted and looked up at her as he dangled a Chizpurfle from his wand in front of the Tentacula, "You're a truly special sort of witch, you know that?"

"So I hear," she replied shortly and watched the Tentacula pull back it's head to strike. "She's going to bite you."

Moving by an almost inhuman reflex, he snatched his wand hand back just as the plant chomped down on empty air and he scowled at it so ferociously that Katie couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped.

He tossed the Chizpurfle at the plant, who caught it out of the air, and headed back over to relative safety on Katie's side of the greenhouse. He glanced longingly at his bat again, "I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave it in James' four poster tonight and take the loss."

"And then you'd have Lily to answer to when her boyfriend shows up to breakfast mangled tomorrow," Katie pointed out.

Sirius cocked his head to the side as if considering his options, "That's true but s _he_ hasn't got fangs."

"There's more than one type of venom," Katie replied in amusement. "I'd take the Tentacula any day."

"For some barmy reason, that doesn't surprise me in the least, Prewett," he shook his head and began taking off the Beater pads he'd left on in case he needed to defend himself against his ornery science project. "But if we don't get out of here soon I'm going to take my chances with the fire-breathing redhead and give James what's coming to him. You should probably save me from myself and go get some food with me."

"But we've only been here half an hour!" she exclaimed in protest. She hadn't blown off Eddie to go gallivanting around the castle with Sirius. "If you don't start feeding her more or at least more regularly the potion won't work. You do want to pass this class, don't you?"

"If it'll make you feel better I'll stop in tomorrow morning before class for a feeding," he said, coaxing with a look she had a feeling no girl had ever refused.

And really what would it hurt, she wondered. If they were going to be mates she should do it properly, right? At any rate, it might put to rest a few people's ideas that there was more going on between them.

She gave him a resigned look, "Does it matter if I say, no?"

"Probably not," he declared and jumped up to collect his Quidditch gear. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."

Katie rolled her eyes, "I'm fairly certain I saw you at dinner before practice tonight so I can say with quite a bit of certainty that it hasn't been a week. And just where do you intend to get food this time of night anyway? It's almost 8 o'clock. Dinner is over."

Sirius grinned and slung his arm around her shoulders as he led her out of the greenhouse, "The kitchens of course."

It was a sure sign she'd been spending too much time with him when that statement failed to surprise her. Because _of course_ he would know how to get into the kitchens. She looked up at him slightly exasperated, "Is there a rule you haven't broken?"

"Hard to say," he answered with a shrug and glanced down at her in amusement. "You seemed to like it last time I showed you one of my secrets."

If she hadn't known any better, she would have sworn he was flirting with her. She poked him in the ribs to dislodge his arm from her shoulders and gave him a satisfied smirk when he yelped and snatched his arm back, "I didn't say I wouldn't like to see the kitchens. Just wondering if you ever stop to think about the consequences of all this mischief you get into."

An odd look flashed across his face, disappearing so quickly she almost could have convinced herself she'd imagined it. Especially when the look he finally did give her was carefully blank, "Do you ever think about what you might be missing when all you do is _worry_ about the consequences, Prewett?"

They had paused in front a staircase that led under the Great Hall that she'd never noticed before and he was looking at her just a little too intensely. Feeling defensive and slightly uncomfortable, she frowned at him and started heading down the stairs, "Consequences exist for a reason."

"Aye, they do," he agreed and grabbed her arm just at the bottom of the stairs to stop them in front of a painting of a large bowl of fruit. She turned to look at him still frowning and he absently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear in a gesture that was oddly affectionate. "And a lot of times they're deserved. But sometimes those consequences are worth the experience."

Yes, she thought looking at him with a sudden, dangerous thought in her head. She was starting to see how that could be true. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"Anyway it doesn't matter tonight," Sirius said and she realized his mood had changed yet again. Light-hearted once more he reached up and tickled the pear on the right side of the painting. "The house elves won't tell anyone we were here."

Distracted as she'd been, she was thoroughly surprised when the pear suddenly giggled under Sirius' touch and with a wiggle turned into a bright green door handle. She let out an amazed laugh as Sirius opened the painting like a door, "Please tell me someone showed you how to do that."

"Sorry?" he asked, confused as she suddenly began giggling uncontrollably.

"Oh Merlin," she breathed and had to prop herself against the wall just inside the door in her mirth. "I've just imagined you and the rest of your lot wandering around the castle tickling paintings until you found the right one."

Sirius grinned, "Well you're not entirely wrong."

"What?" she exclaimed resting her head back against the wall as she shook with laughter. "You've got to be joking."

"Well it wasn't the entire castle," he explained and laughed as well, remembering it. "We'd worked out where the corridor was you see. And that we had to tickle a painting but we didn't know which one. So we just started at the beginning and worked through every painting until we found the right one. Remus actually got slapped by one of them when he got a bit too handsy with a Viking maiden just down the corridor. She ripped herself right off the wall and smashed into him. Broke his nose. I'm sure you've seen the scar she left."

" _That's_ what that scar on the bridge of his nose is from?" she sputtered, hiccuping on a stray giggle that kept trying to escape. "That's one to tell to your grandchildren. Slapped for fondling a painting."

"James was so proud," Sirius sighed smiling fondly.

"Master Black!" A sudden, squeaky exclamation made both of them jump. "Master Black has come to visit us!"

"Hullo Mimi," he said warmly and as Katie watched the tiny little house elf was soon joined by a dozen others all clamoring to say hello to 'Master Black'.

"Master has brought a new friend tonight," Mimi said looking up at Katie with luminous eyes. The tiny elf made her way over to her and curtsied so low that her nose nearly touched the ground. "Master never brings a lady. Mistress must forgive Mimi. She was not expecting _such_ a lady."

"Of course," Katie replied solemnly and tried to ignore the feeling in her stomach. It didn't mean _anything_ that she was the only girl he'd ever brought here or that Mimi might have been expecting them. They were just mates.

"Mimi has heard of Mistress Prewett," she told her with a look of awe. "The one who heals with her hands. Mistress has great power."

"How do you know about that?" Katie asked in surprise.

"Mistress healed Mimi's brother. She showed him kindness after those boys trapped him," Mimi's large grey eyes were nearly swimming with tears. "She is a friend here always."

"Kiko was your brother?" Katie replied softly and got down on her knees in front of the elf. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for him."

Mimi shook her head violently and frantically patted Katie's hands, "No, no, Mistress! You saved him. He serves the Headmaster personally now. He is most respected."

Across the kitchen, Sirius was watching them intently. He didn't think he'd ever seen a Pureblood witch or wizard get down on their knees so they could speak eye to eye with a house elf. Even James, whose parents had refused to have elves, still gave them about as much notice as a piece of furniture. He'd be damned if he didn't admire her for it but it made him uncomfortably aware of the fact that she was too good for him. In more ways than one.

"Shall I make the Mistress something?" Mimi had taken Katie's hand and led her over to where Sirius was leaning against a cupboard.

Knowing it would be rude to refuse, she nodded and looked expectantly at Sirius, "Though if you don't feed this bottomless pit he's liable to waste away on us."

Mimi smiled happily, "We will make Master Black's favorite."

She bustled away and left them standing together in a strangely awkward silence.

"I didn't know Mimi had a brother," Sirius said finally and Katie looked at him in surprise. He shrugged, "Never thought to ask."

Knowing all too well that most of the wizarding community saw house elves as property and little else, she laughed somewhat sadly, "She probably would have been mortified if you had."

"What happened to him?"

"Her brother?" Katie replied and frowned. "I was working on a project for Slughorn's O. level Potions class one night and accidentally walked into the wrong dungeon. A bunch of Slytherin goons had trapped Kiko and were torturing him by slicing off one small piece of him at a time. It was sickening."

She shivered and rubbed her arms like it still made her skin crawl, "There was blood everywhere and he was just lying in that cage letting them butcher him alive."

Sirius' lip curled in a snarl, "Bastards. Even animals have more respect for life than that."

"Avery still cringes any time he walks by me in the halls," Katie said in satisfaction. Remembering how he'd screamed when she hexed him still comforted her when she thought about Kiko. "I'd been working on amping up my bat bogey hex and the bats that flew out of his nose that night nearly split his face in two."

"Bet the rest of them left pretty quick after that," he said in admiration. He wondered if she would ever stop surprising him.

"Oh yes," she agreed but shook her head in regret. "But I was too late to save Kiko completely. I can heal a living thing but I can't regrow body parts. They'd taken one of this feet, most of the fingers on one hand, and half of an ear before I stopped them."

Sirius tilted his head to the side and reached out to take one of her hands without thinking, "You're a hell of a witch, Prewett."

Caught up in the moment, she didn't even think to pull her hand back, smiling up at him through misty eyes, "You'd have done the same."

"Master Black's fish and chips are ready!" Mimi exclaimed and they suddenly sprang apart like guilty lovers.

"Fish and chips," Katie laughed a little shakily, thankful for the interruption. She shook her head at the massive pile of freshly fried fish and some truly spectacular looking chips, "This is your favorite?"

"Oy, if you're going to make fun I'm not going to share," he threatened and polished off a piece of fish in two bites. He was all too aware of how close he'd come to speeding up his plans for the evening. He forced a boyish grin, "Besides, everyone loves fish and chips. Comfort food."

She smirked and snatched a chip from his hand, "S'pose you need it after all that abuse from a silly little plant."

Teasing him felt easier than thinking about the way he gently taken her hand to comfort her.

"This is the last time I invite you to have a snack," he informed her grumpily. "Show a bird a good time, feed her, and she's taking the mick. Ungrateful, that's what you are."

"Oh don't cry to me," she sighed and couldn't suppress a genuine grin as she popped another chip in her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had fish and chips. "Not my fault if you need a little help with the ladies."

"Oy!"

And they went on like that for nearly an hour, long after the fish and chips had gone and the house elves had silently slipped away to their beds, teasing one another and sharing other stories about mischief and forgotten times each in an effort to forget what they had just been feeling.

And despite herself, it ended up being the most comfortable hour Katie could remember spending with anyone in a very long time and when the clock struck ten she looked down at her watch in amazement.

"Merlin, when did it get so late? We've missed curfew," she wondered aloud. "Alice is probably wondering where I am. I was supposed to help her finish her Charms essay tonight."

"C'mon," Sirius said and offered her a hand. "I'll get you back safe and sound."

She took his hand hesitantly, both because it she wasn't sure she believed him and she wasn't terribly keen on being that close to him, "I hate to break it to you but unless you've got a secret passage hidden up your sleeve we're bound to run into a teacher on our way back to the tower."

He gave her a knowing grin and she sighed, "You've got to be kidding me."

"See? I said you were ungrateful," he replied and checked the passage quickly before sliding out with her into the dark corridor. While he hadn't intended to keep her out this late, the lack of people around to interfere when they got back was a nice bonus. He gave her a sincere smile, "I promise. We'll get back without anyone knowing we were there."

"If you say so," she replied dryly but followed him quietly up the stairs anyway wondering just how much trouble she'd gotten herself into.

They paused for a moment at the top of the stairs to make sure it was clear and then they moved like shadows to the other side of the Entrance Hall. At the bottom of the marble staircase, Sirius put a finger to his lips and pulled her behind him into a dark space under the staircase just as Professor Flitwick passed by. When the coast was clear, they crept silently up the staircase where they spotted another wandlight coming down the corridor.

"Quick," Sirius whispered. "The passage is just up here. Don't make a sound."

Nodding nervously, Katie followed him down the hallway _toward_ the wand light and just when she was sure they would get caught he suddenly tugged her behind an ancient looking tapestry and they were plunged into complete darkness.

"Shh," Sirius hissed and they waited, holding their breath. They listened intently as Kettleburn and Slughorn chatted about the latest in defensive potions as they passed by their hiding spot and when their voices had completely faded Sirius finally lit his wand, " _Lumos_."

The passage lit up around them and Katie realized they were standing at the base of a staircase. She blinked, "What? There's a secret passage with a _staircase_ in the castle?"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Sirius smirked but grabbed her quickly when she started toward them. "Watch it, that second step is a trick step. Your foot will go right through and you'll be trapped for the next two days."

Katie raised an amused brow, "Know that from experience?"

"Shut up," he said but he was smiling. "Let's go."

"Where does this come out?" she asked as they began climbing, carefully avoiding the second step.

"On the fifth floor near the Prefect Bathrooms," he told her. "Once we're out of the passage we'll be fine until we get to the sixth floor. That's the challenging part."

"Why?" she demanded. "I thought you said we'd be fine?"

"Oh we will," he assured her and she could practically here the cocky grin on his face. "I said it was a challenge not impossible. The sixth floor is McGonagall's territory and the woman has ears like a cat. We'll just have to be careful that's all."

"Lovely. I swear to Merlin if she catches us I'm telling her you abducted me, Starboy."

"Relax, Prewett," Sirius rolled his eyes in amusement as they climbed at last onto the landing at the top of the staircase, she was handling this quite well. He put out his wand, " _Nox._ Now just be quiet for a second."

She waited anxiously but the only sound they could hear was the other's breathing. Grabbing her hand once more, Sirius led her ghost-like into the corridor and to her amazement he had been right. The entire floor was deserted. But when they got to the top of the staircase on the sixth floor they ran into trouble.

Not only McGonagall but Dumbledore as well were walking down the corridor having a rather lively conversation about the most recent Quidditch match between the Harpies and the Irish. And they were much too close for comfort.

"In here," Sirius whispered and pulled her quickly into an alcove just off the stairs where a statue of Helga Hufflepuff was kept behind a rather convenient curtain. Convenient but slightly too cozy, Katie mused as Sirius tucked her neatly against him.

"Dumbledore will know we're here," she whispered up at him unable to see his face in the dark.

"Sure he will if you keep talking," he breathed and watched intently as the shadows thrown by the wand light came closer to their hiding spot.

Afraid her pounding heart would give them away, Katie closed her eyes and rested her ear against Sirius' chest. His own heart beat was calm and steady and she focused on that instead of the approaching footsteps and that fact that she was plastered right up against him. All in all, she felt this whole situation had escalated rather quickly for her taste.

Sirius, however, was thinking quite the opposite. She had taken direction well, trusted him implicitly, and quite honestly everything had gone much better than he'd planned. And she smelled bloody delicious, he thought not for the first time and had to take a moment to tame his hormones. It was not the time, not yet.

"I think they've gone," he whispered finally and glanced down at her still snuggled against his chest. The temptation to stay put a little longer was nearly irresistible.

"Are you sure?" she asked anxiously and peered at the floor for any signs of movement.

He listened for another moment and nodded, "They've gone, likely to McGonagall's office. Let's go."

He eased her away from him, amused when he saw her realize how tightly she'd been holding on. He crept to the curtain to check one last time. The corridor was empty, dark, and silent and he reached his hand back towards her with a smile, "Almost there now."

Slightly embarrassed that she'd glued herself so securely to him in her efforts to stay calm, she took his outstretched hand with some reluctance. She was starting to feel that any skin contact with him was slightly dangerous.

Still, she felt better with his hand wrapped securely around hers but they had only taken a step out from behind the curtain when they were assaulted by the sound of a loud raspberry and a cackle that sent Katie's heart plummeting to her toes.

"Peeves," Sirius growled in disgust and squeezed Katie's hand a little tighter.

The resident Poltergeist was hovering just a few feet away and grinning like a lunatic, "Sirius Black is out and about again this evening. Haven't we had a talk about this, Mr. Black. You really should think more about your reputation. What will dear, sweet Minnie say?"

"Sod off, Peeves," Sirius snapped and drew his wand. "Seen the Bloody Baron lately? I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"Is it wise to insult him?" Katie murmured in concern.

Peeves' eyes narrowed as if on cue, "Always with the threats, stinking humans. Think they own the place. Ought to give a shout, I should."

"Shout and I'll end you," Sirius warned and he began sidling around the poltergeist, towing Katie cautiously behind him. "I've made good on my threats before. You know I'm telling the truth."

"It's against the rules to be out of bed," he cackled loudly and started spinning in a circle, his laugh echoing off the stone walls of the empty corridor. "Better run wee beasties."

He made a show of taking as deep a breath as he could and then began shouting, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED!"

"Run!" Sirius shouted in her ear and they took off up the corridor towards the seventh floor staircase and didn't look back.

Peeves shouts followed them up the stairs but by the time they had reached the top of the staircase to the seventh floor Sirius was sure they were relatively safe. He knew from experience that the teachers often didn't take Peeves seriously and they both paused to catch their breath.

"Dear Merlin," Katie huffed and was surprised to find herself laughing. "I thought we were caught for sure."

Sirius marveled at the grin on her face. He'd thought for sure she'd be furious with him.

Feeling relieved himself, he chuckled, "I've got to admit I thought we might have been in trouble. You were brilliant."

"If you can call being a huge ball of anxiety the whole time brilliant, then thanks," she sighed as her breath came back. "I don't know how you do this all the bloody time."

"A lot of practice," he replied and wiggled his eyebrows making her laugh again.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," she shook her head in amusement. If this was what it meant to be mates with Sirius Black she thought she might need to take it in smaller doses even if she was feeling rather on top of the world at the moment with endorphins.

She glanced behind her thinking it was probably better not to sit around and tempt fate for too long, "Er, maybe we should get back to the Tower though."

Sirius suddenly swallowed. She was standing there flushed from their run, laughing and doing her best to be brave, and she quite simply looked like the kind of girl a bloke would gladly take a curse for. Was it any wonder she destroyed his self control?

He hadn't planned it like this and, Merlin help him, he was probably going to regret it. But if he didn't get his hands on her right that moment he was probably going to burst. He took a step forward and damned the consequences.

As she moved towards the Portrait Hole, he reached out and gently tugged her arm so she had to turn back and face him, "One thing first."

"What-" she began curiously but suddenly found her question answered when without any warning he simply sank his lips into hers as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

She tasted like warm honey, all sweet and slick, he thought as he sank into her. More bewitching than he'd even imagine. And even though he'd expected resistance and he could feel her heart wildly beating against his own chest, she seemed content to stay where she was for the moment and it was all the encouragement he needed. Wanting more, he slipped his fingers into her hair at the base of her neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist, easing her back against the wall so he could take more from her mouth. When a small whimper escaped her lips, the answering growl in his throat was nearly feral. He'd never experienced a need like this before.

Katie was also struggling with a foggy haze of need she hadn't known was possible. Only days, hours, moments before she'd thought they could be mates - that they _were_ mates. But as he put his hands on her she couldn't help the small moan that came from her mouth or the fire in her blood from his answering growl and any logic she may have been holding on to simply flew out the window.

Hesitantly her arms came up, slipped around his neck and in response his hands both moved instinctively lower around her waist and finally down to her bum where with gentle pressure he pressed her hips into his own.

The electric feeling of need made her eyes fly open and suddenly a bit of panic began to make its way through the hormones racing through her blood. It was too much. Too much, too fast and the panic was also starting to give way to heavy guilt over Eddie. Only hours ago, it had been him she'd been kissing.

 _But not like this_ , a silky voice in her head insisted but she ruthlessly crushed it out.

She placed her hands on Sirius' chest and shoved, as much for her own a sake as his.

Having expected it from the started, Sirius willingly took a step back when he felt her tense and resist and simply looked at her, knowing that everything he wanted in that moment was written clearly on his face and finding he really didn't care.

And didn't he just look like that boy your mother warns you about? Katie thought and for the first time in her life felt the dark little thrill of what it could mean to have a boy like that want you.

It was compelling and terrifying all at the same time. Her hands were trembling.

She began shaking her head as she backed away toward the Portrait Hole, "I can't... _we_ can't...I've got Eddie...shit."

She stopped moving in frustration and her hands fisted at her sides.

He watched her struggle, not unsympathetically, and tucked his own hands in his trouser pockets in an attempt to keep from touching her again. He lifted an eyebrow, "You can't ignore what's here, Prewett."

He said it as though he had tried. For some reason that irritated her.

"But you had no right!" she snapped and found that anger was easier to deal with than the guilt and the wanting. "I'm seeing someone else. I have a _date_ for Merlin's sake."

She turned around and spit the password at the sleeping Fat Lady who came awake with a start. She scowled darkly at them both as she swung open to admit them.

Following her through, Sirius had to quiet his own thoughts and the hormones still coursing through his veins. He'd known what he was about when the evening had started and had been prepared to deal with the consequences but he hadn't been prepared for her reaction to him or his reaction to her. He realized he was going to find it a lot more difficult now to keep his promise to himself to let her come to him after this initial move.

She scowled at him, trying to force herself to ignore the million other emotions running rampant through her head and chest, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"If you're looking for an apology you won't get it," he replied in a low voice.

Even though he'd said it sincerely and without a hint of cockiness, the idea that he didn't regret it and looked as though he was ready for round two made her want to punch him. She took two steps back, "Was all of this just some sick joke to get me in bed?"

"Oh come off it," Sirius scoffed and for a moment his calm demeanor gave way to something more passionate. This inferiority complex of hers royally pissed him off. "Don't start with that bollocks. Like you aren't good enough. Why is it so hard to believe someone wants you? Why do I have to be the bad guy?"

But that was the crux of it, she suddenly realized. Sirius scared her because he wanted her. Not because he cared or wanted a life with her but simply because he wanted a romp in the sheets. The last time she'd let herself be pulled into something like that she'd fallen in love and been abandoned in the worst moments of her life. She very simply wasn't going to let herself go through that again. Whether Sirius actually was the bad guy or not.

"You can just sod off," Katie replied finally and knew it was time to get out of there before she lost her nerve. The feel of his lips was still seared onto her own.

"I will right now, for tonight," he said as she turned to go but there was an edge to his voice that made her pause. "But whatever denial you have going on in that noisy brain of yours, you can't tell me that it's been like that with anyone else. You can't ignore this."

"Watch me," she replied softly and turned on her heel to head up the stairs.

* * *

ASiriusObsession xoxo


	10. Chapter 10: Flavor of the Weak

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's world. Only Katie belongs to meeee :)**

THANK YOU so much for all of the lovely reviews. I'm sorry I haven't been very good about responding because I'm usually at work when I receive them but please know that I've loved all your notes and feedback and you guys are just amazing. So thanks. I'll apologize now for the angst in this chapter - it couldn't be helped lol

 **Track 10: Flavor of the Weak by American Hi-Fi**

 _He's connected to the sound_

 _And he's got pictures on the wall_

 _Of all the girls he's loved before_

 _And she knows all his favorite songs_

 _Her boyfriend, he don't know_

 _Anything about her_

 _He's too stoned, Nintendo_

 _I wish that I could make her see_

 _She's just the flavor of the weak_

 _But she makes me weak_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**

" _I can't do this anymore, Katie."_

 _The words seemed to echo and magnify off the walls around her like they were made of metal and without warning her legs suddenly refused to hold her up any longer. Sliding to the floor, the stone under her bare legs was bitterly cold but she didn't feel it. Her body seemed to have gone numb._

" _C'mon Prew, don't be like that."_

" _Don't you dare call me that," she cried and felt the tears erupt from her eyes. After what felt like months of crying, she was honestly impressed that she had anymore tears to give. Clearly, she wasn't completely broken. Yet._

 _Charlie's pleading look became somewhat colder. He frowned, "This is what I'm talking about. You're always crying over something."_

 _But it wasn't just something, she wanted to scream at him. It was her whole bloody world. In the instant she learned of her parents' murder, it had been as though a piece of her soul had simply crumbled into dust. The only people in the world who remembered her first words, her first steps, or that she cried when they said goodbye to her before her first train ride to Hogwarts were just gone. No warning, no goodbyes. Just gone forever. She would never spend the afternoon gardening with her father again, never smell her mother's perfume._

 _Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her torso as though it might protect her from her memories and this next gut wrenching loss that had come far too soon. Only weeks ago, he'd told her he loved her and now it was all too much for him? Something inside her broke with a sharp, stabbing pain and her tears became sobs._

 _Distantly she was aware that Charlie was talking to her but she was having trouble focusing. The world around her had started to go fuzzy._

 _Charlie's words became a muffled stream and her only conscious thought was that perhaps she might freeze to death if she simply stretched out on the freezing stone floor and went to sleep._

 _As the world began to gray around her, she thought she heard Alice shouting but couldn't bring herself to look round. The dark was welcoming her with open arms and she had quite simply lost the will to resist._

* * *

 **Friday, September 23, 1977**

Katie woke from the dream with her face buried in her pillow and her body curled defensively around her middle as though she had been fiercely protecting something inside herself. And for the second morning in a row, her pillow was damp with tears.

She rolled onto her back with a groan and stared up at the canopy over her with a mixture of misery and fury. Charlie Vance didn't deserve a single second more of her life than he'd already had and reliving his betrayal was both torturous and infuriating.

And it was all bloody Sirius Black's fault.

It had been almost two days. And in those two days the feelings he'd stirred with his stupid kiss had awakened a lot of memories she'd worked hard to forget. While she could absolutely ignore Sirius for as long as necessary, he had been right when he said the kiss would be harder to forget.

Ruddy bastard.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she sat up and ran her hands through her hair in agitation.

It just wasn't fair! Why should one kiss turn her whole world upside down? Until last night, she hadn't even thought about Sirius like that. Not truly. And now her insides were all twisted up and she _really_ didn't want to think about why.

All of this had become such a muddled, painful mess.

As though sensing she needed comfort, Luna appeared like a sleek shadow and hopped up on the bed next to her with an insistent 'meow' and a soothing purr.

Katie sighed and scratched her ears, "What have I gotten myself into, Luna? I should never have toyed with Sirius _or_ Eddie. I promised myself I wouldn't and now look where it's gotten me. What am I going to do?"

The cat pushed her head into her hand sympathetically and curled up in a ball next to her with a sleepy look.

"Helpful that," Katie muttered grumpily but gave her one last affectionate scratch as she stood up to dig an outfit from her trunk. The day would start whether she was ready or not. "I may just run away with you one day Luna. No problems, no boys, no worries. We can live wild in the forest together, what do you say?"

Luna promptly tucked her face under a paw and closed her eyes suggesting she much preferred the safe, warm comfort of the castle.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Katie sighed and threw her skirt and button down over her arm as she headed to the showers. Though the temptation to just run away was uncomfortably real as she contemplated a whole day of classes with Sirius. "I guess we can't always run away from our problems."

* * *

"Whew, Padfoot," James whistled and threw an arm around Sirius' shoulders as Katie breezed past them after breakfast as if they were merely part of the stone wall they were leaning against. "You really created an ice queen with that one."

Sirius wrinkled his nose and shoved at James' face to remove his arm, "She's just trying to make a point."

"I'd say she's doing a pretty fine job of it," Remus offered dryly. "How many days did you say she'd hold out again?"

"I believe he said three," James replied helpfully when Sirius only scowled at him. "She's still got one more day to get it out of her system. Don't worry your pretty little head, Pads."

"She seems pretty mad," Peter disagreed watching her stalk out of sight.

"Again," Sirius growled in annoyance. "She's just being stubborn. She thinks I might give it up if she can hold out long enough."

"Is it working yet?" Remus asked in amusement and James ruffled Sirius' hair so that he promptly shoved him into the wall.

"You're all a bunch of gits," a female voice informed them, interrupting their amused contemplation of the icy wake Katie had left behind her on her way to Charms.

Sirius groaned. He wasn't look for unsolicited advice from everyone's favorite red head, "No one asked you, Evans."

"I'd like to see you fix this on your own," Lily replied with a tight smile and she gave James a pointed look, falling into step between him and Sirius as they too headed to Charms. "Because so far you're feeble attempts to seduce her aren't working."

"Feeble?" Sirius scoffed and seriously contemplated dumping one of the dungbombs in his bag on her. Honestly, how dare she? "The seduction was already a success or Prewett wouldn't be trying so hard to pretend I don't exist. She just has to stop denying it long enough to see the light."

"Are you joking?" Lily exclaimed and swatted at James when he sniggered. "Do you idiots know how long she's had a crush on Eddie Bones? And now Sirius just swoops in out of nowhere and confuses the hell out of her? What did you _think_ was going to happen?"

"To be fair, Lily," Remus offered democratically. "We did warn him."

"For fuck's sake," Sirius said in irritation. When had his personal life become common knowledge? He sent an accusatory glance James' way knowing full well where Lily, at least, had come by her information. "It's not like she owes Eddie anything at this point. There hasn't been a date yet and he's snogged her _one time_. I don't see the problem. It's not like I asked her to marry me."

Though to be fair, he thought darkly. The interaction between them had been decidedly more intense than he'd been anticipating. But he wasn't about to admit that to Lily Evans.

Lily pursed her lips, "Katie's just not that kind of girl, Sirius."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "I really hate to repeat myself, Evans, but it's not like I'm breaking up a happy couple here. He just started acknowledging her existence a few weeks ago."

"Sounds like someone else we know," Lily replied tartly and Sirius finally had the capacity to look slightly guilty. She smirked as they paused outside Flitwick's classroom, "Well it's good to see you have some form of conscience behind that pretty face. Now listen, all I'm saying is you need to give her a little time. She's shaken, you managed that much at least. Now let her work it out."

Sirius scowled, "She can take all the time she needs to work it out. But if she needs a few reminders along the way..."

He trailed off with a suggestive smile.

"Did you hear _anything_ I just said?" Lily moaned and looked to James for help. James, however, knew better than to try and reason with Sirius. Especially about a girl.

"I'm with Black!" Alice announced, popping out from around the corner where she'd been listening. She simply grinned at them when they all turned, "Our darling Katie isn't going to come quietly but I promise she's halfway there. She's just really good at lying to herself. So! Do yourself a favor, Sirius, and don't mess it up on round two, yeah?"

Content that she'd said her piece, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the classroom.

They all starred after her in surprise.

Everyone, that is, except Sirius who's lips lifted in a triumphant smirk as he followed her in.

He always knew he liked Alice Nott.

* * *

"He has not stopped _staring_ at me since he walked in here," Katie's teeth were clenched in frustration. "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

Alice glanced to their right at Sirius who had his chin propped on one hand and a bored look on his face. He didn't appear to be staring at anyone or anything at the moment.

Alice raised an eyebrow and looked back at her best mate, "Darling, I think you might be a little paranoid."

From the corner of her eye, Katie saw the corner of Sirius' mouth lift in a smirk and she very nearly hexed him. If he wasn't looking he was certainly _listening_. She wasn't being paranoid. He was just being clever...and obnoxious. And driving her mad.

Which she was sure was the point.

She sank lower into her seat and blocked her peripheral view of Sirius with her hand as Flitwick droned on about Morphing Shield Charms. She'd been lulled into a false sense of security when Sirius had just _let_ her ignore him the whole previous day and apparently now his chivalry had dried up with the sun.

Exhibit A. The second she'd walked into breakfast that morning he made direct eye contact with her. And winked. The moron.

 _Then_ he'd proceeded to ask her to kindly pass the syrup for his pancakes...from five feet down the table.

And now, Exhibit B. He was silently mocking her from two desks over without actually having to _do_ anything and it was infuriating.

The worst part of it was that she couldn't react properly to any of it or she would risk the whole school finding out what had happened. And she'd be damned if she was going to let him ruin her date with Eddie - the one good thing that had come from all this.

"So am I allowed to say I told you so yet?" Alice whispered and propped her own chin on her hand with a smug smile.

Katie gave her a dark look, "If I recall correctly you said _I_ was in love with _him_."

Alice raised her eyebrows with a flat expression, "So you're in love with each other. Same thing."

"Alice. Not helpful," Katie groaned and hoped desperately that Sirius couldn't hear her. "And besides. No one's in love with anyone. He just wants to shag me."

"Sure about that?" Alice asked because _she_ wasn't convinced. Even if Katie could ignore the fact that Sirius very rarely put this much effort into anything, she was going to have a harder time explaining to herself why she was so worked up about it. Because honestly, Alice reasoned, a girl didn't get this upset about a boy kissing her unless there were feelings involved.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Katie hissed exasperated. The truth of the matter was that Katie wasn't sure about anything with Sirius and that was part of the problem. Everyone just needed to mind their own business. Alice included. This was an all too familiar road. "I'm not going to play this game again. Not for anyone."

Alice pressed her lips together in sympathy. She had been wondering if this had something to do with Charlie Vance. An older boy, a charmer that had broken her best mate's heart. She tapped Katie's arm with her quill, "He's not Charlie, you know."

"You're right," Katie replied sarcastically. "At least he's honest about the fact that he's just a womanizing playboy with no regard for anyone's feelings."

Alice saw Sirius snort, clearly listening to the discussion, and she caught his glance with a look of warning. He grinned good naturedly and offered her a shrug before leaning in to listen to something James was saying. Oh boy, Alice thought.

"Besides," Katie continued letting her breath out in a huff. "I really like Eddie. And it's not fair to him to not give things a chance."

"I get it and I think you should absolutely give Eddie a chance first," Alice promised and, noting that Sirius seemed absorbed in his conversation with James, leaned in closer to Katie with a grin. "And it's going to drive Sirius barmy no matter the result so I'd say that's also a plus."

Amused and feeling slightly better that Alice was on her side, she shook her head, "A girl like me driving Sirius barmy? It's a mad time to be alive, Alice."

And they both laughed as some of the tension drained away.

Despite his earlier mischief, whatever Sirius had been discussing with James seemed to have required most of his attention for the rest of Charms and by the time Flitwick dismissed them Katie was feeling better about the whole situation. There was very little reason that Eddie would find out about what had happened between her and Sirius and, despite some bad dreams and her overall annoyance with Sirius and his shenanigans, she _was_ still looking forward to going to Hogsmeade with him.

And she could hold onto that until something or _someone_ else caught Sirius' attention. It was only a matter of time.

"You going to be okay?" Alice asked as they packed up their books.

"Of course," Katie assured her and tucked her notes and book under her arm as they headed out into the corridor. She made a face, "I've just got to avoid and resist. Simple. I'll see you at lunch."

"My hero," Alice grinned and waved as she took off towards the Astronomy Tower.

Katie watched for a moment until the blonde had disappeared and then turned with a sigh in the other direction.

And ran smack into Sirius' chest.

"Whoa," he exclaimed and caught her against his chest so that the books and notes in her hands didn't go flying. He hadn't planned it but he wasn't upset to suddenly find her in his arms. "Alright, Prewett?"

"Yes, fine," she snapped and could tell her cheeks were burning. In fact, she realized slightly startled, her bare skin under his hands seemed to be tingling as well. Had she really just been thinking she could ignore this? Bloody hell, she was a mess.

"Sorry," he said looking down at her with a warm smile that set off another chain reaction of tingles. "I didn't see you coming."

I'll bet you didn't, she thought and suddenly noticed they were quite alone in the corridor. Even James had conveniently disappeared despite being the reason Sirius had still been standing outside the classroom to begin with.

"Did I hurt you?" Sirius asked, mildly concerned when she remained silent.

Shaken back to reality by the closeness of his voice, she was horrified to discover she was still in his arms.

"No, no it's fine," she repeated and took a quick step away from him and his tingle-inducing hands. "It was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"I'm not complaining," he said with a sweet smile and ran a hand through his hair, looking out from under his bangs at her in a way that made her heart skip in her chest. Where did he even learn to _do_ that?

He tilted his head slightly, she'd given him the perfect opening to share the news he and James had been discussing in Charms, "You're headed to Care of Magical Creatures next, yeah?"

Her eyes narrowed, immediately suspecting trouble, "Nice try but I'm ignoring you remember? I'm quite aware you also have Care of Magical Creatures next and I can walk myself to class, thanks."

She brushed past him but he didn't take the hint and simply lengthened his stride to keep up with her, "As a matter of fact, I wasn't going to offer to walk you to class. How presumptuous of you, Prewett."

Katie glanced sideways at him noting he seemed cool and aloof like he had during their first dating lesson. _And arrogant_ , she thought darkly. She averted her gaze forward again when her temper sparked. She really didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that the fact that he could change his mood at the drop of a knut was maddening, "You don't say? What was it you wanted then?"

"Just thought you might want to know that Mary has finally left her sanctuary in the Hospital Wing and will be back in class today," he informed her nonchalantly but watched her carefully for a reaction. He'd known the second James told him that someone had to tell her the other girls would be there. He hadn't planned to do it like this but he doubted he'd get a better chance.

Katie's heart dropped a little in her chest. She'd been waiting for the news but she hadn't expected it from Sirius. Or the ridiculous look of concern in his eye.

She gripped her books tighter in resolve.

It didn't matter. He could give her those puppy dog eyes and be as thoughtful as he cared to be it wasn't going to change anything between them. It wasn't.

She pressed her lips together, "Thanks for the heads up."

Sirius lifted a brow impressed. He had to hand it to her, she was better at controlling her face and emotions than he'd previously thought. But the tension in her shoulders gave her away.

"The way I hear it, she won't be giving you any more trouble. You've got nothing to worry about Prewett," he said gently and for the first time since he'd kissed her felt a small stab of regret. A week ago, she'd have opened up to him about it.

He frowned slightly. A week ago he probably also would have been horrified when she did.

He swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. He wasn't sure why this thing with Mary made him want to just wrap his arms around Katie like he could protect her from the world but the feeling was starting to get the better of him.

"Who's worried?" Katie snapped. Never mind that she _was_ worried and it pissed her off that he could tell, she wasn't going to discuss it with him. "I'm a big girl. I'll handle it."

Sirius scowled darkly at her resistance, "Prewett, wait. I-"

He stepped forward to stop her with the beginnings of an apology on his lips but she stopped abruptly at the bottom of the marble staircase to glare up at him, "Sod off, Sirius. Whatever you're up to, it's not going to work."

Merlin's beard, she was beautiful when she was furious, he thought in amusement and couldn't help the smirk that formed on his lips despite his good intentions, "Who says I'm up to anything?"

Only anyone who's ever met you, she thought exasperated, and felt a bit like her head might explode if he smirked at her like that again. Which, you know, not helpful, she wanted to shout at whoever would listen. But despite her body being a traitor, the universe at least seemed to be on her side today.

"Er... am I interrupting?"

Feeling almost light headed with relief, Katie turned to find Eddie approaching them with a slight frown but looking better than any knight in shining armor she'd ever seen. _Thank Merlin for small favors_.

"As a matter of fact," Sirius muttered under his breath.

But Katie cut him off and gave Eddie a brilliant smile, "Uh no. Not at all."

He returned the smile but looked curiously at Sirius who had carefully let his face go blank, "Alright, Black?"

Sirius regarded him coldly, "Bones. What can we do for you?"

Eddie frowned slightly at his use of the word 'we' but glanced back at Katie with his smile intact, "I was hoping to catch you before you headed to your next class. Are you free tonight?"

Katie could see Sirius' jaw clench and decided perhaps Alice had known what she was talking about. Had things been different she would have been spending her evening with Sirius in the greenhouse. But now she could spend it with Eddie _and_ rub it in Sirius' face.

Ah, vengeance was sweet.

"As a matter of fact," she replied sweetly mirroring Sirius' own words and turning her back on him. "I am."

"That's brill," he said with another gorgeous smile. "I was hoping we could go for that fly we talked about the other night, the sunset is supposed to be spectacular tonight. Meet me at the Quidditch pitch around seven?"

"I'd love that," she agreed and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Perfect," he said with a grin. "I'll see you then. Wear something warm."

Amateur, Sirius thought as he watched Eddie leave. Can't offer to keep a girl warm if she comes bundled up already. Common sense.

He glanced down at Katie. She was practically glowing.

Which of course made him want to give Eddie a swift kick in the arse. But she'd be expecting that so he decided to keep her on her toes and go a different direction.

Taking a step closer to her, he said, "Prewett?"

She turned too quickly, irritated that he was still there, and suddenly found herself face to face with him. The proximity caused her to freeze in surprise and she contemplated his mouth and her subsequent reaction to it feeling slightly dazed.

"Prewett?" he repeated, once again amused at the play of emotions on her face.

"Mmm?" she hummed distracted. Her brain felt like it had suddenly been filled with sand. Were her ears ringing?

Merlin, she was lucky he had excellent self control, he thought watching her bite her lip while she stared up at him. Even still he was tempted to drag her off to the nearest broom closet.

He chuckled hoping to relieve the not entirely comfortable pressure in his gut, "I hope you have fun tonight. Try not to bring the stands down this time, eh?"

The reference to her last time on a broom, specifically when she'd climbed on the back of his own broomstick, brought her back to life and she grasped desperately for the shreds of her anger in an effort to drown out her mortification over her complete lack of control around him. Damn him, _why_ couldn't he just let this go.

She lifted her chin defiantly, "I will have fun."

"Good," he said with a smile.

"Great," she retorted back.

"Glad to hear it," he replied and turned to head back up the stairs.

She frowned, "Wait. Where are _you_ going? We have class."

He looked over his shoulder and gave her an innocent look, "I _said_ I wasn't going to walk you to class. Think you can manage without me?"

He gave her a cocky grin when her face turned red but didn't say anything else and continued up the steps to leave her standing there curious, confused, and annoyed. Every time she started to think she had the hang of him she suddenly discovered she was wrong.

From mischievous to cocky to sweet and finally to concerned, he'd run the gamut of moods today and had quite succeeded in winding her up each time.

She just might have strongly underestimated him.

And what was she possibly supposed to expect from Mary?

* * *

Despite the fact that she'd been seething with anxiety when she walked into Care of Magical Creatures earlier that afternoon, Mary didn't so much as look in the general direction that Katie occupied for the entirety of the class. In fact, with the exception of a dark look from Mary's best friend Lyssa as they were leaving after class, she might have almost been able to pretend the other girl wasn't there.

Almost. But the student population wasn't known for it's subtlety and curious glances had flown between the two girls to the point that Kettleburn had finally demanded to know what was going on. Even then, the looks stopped for a few moments but then the whispers began again and Katie's anxiety started to give way to annoyance. Bloody busybodies.

Still, she made it through Kettleburn's class without a single interaction with Sirius Black _or_ Mary MacDonald and that was a silver lining if she'd ever seen one.

And now she was going on a date. The most perfect of dates with the most perfect bloke.

And dates whether perfect or not, Katie thought, were extremely underrated.

Most of Hogwarts were uncreative, randy zombies and existed purely to get from first base to third base as quickly as possible. But in Katie's opinion, there was something to be said for a little romance.

"A sunset ride on the back of his broom," Marlene sighed and grinned as Katie pulled a black sweater over her head. "Don't put on _too_ many layers. He might get discouraged if it takes to long to get you out of them."

Alice, Lily, and Marlene erupted into giggles from the pile they had formed on her bed but Katie rolled her eyes, "Not everything is about a snog, Marley."

"You know," Lily shook her head. "I used to think that too."

"Oh Merlin," Marlene groaned and started laughing again. "You should have seen her face the first time she came back from snogging James."

"We can only hope it goes that well tonight!" Alice agreed.

Katie shook her head but couldn't help the chuckle, "You lot are incorreggibile."

"So is Eddie Bones," Marlene pointed out gleefully.

"On the contrary," Katie argued, pulling her hair back in a braid. "He's been a perfect gentleman unlike _some_ blokes in this castle."

"I still don't believe Eddie is a better snog than Sirius," Alice said matter-of-factly. "I think it's something about his hands. Sirius has really great hands. Like he just knows how to handle a girl, you know?"

Lily erupted in laughter, "Merlin, Alice. What would Frank say?"

All too familiar with the hands Alice was referring to and what they had done to her earlier that day, Katie tuned out the conversation as Alice grinned wickedly at Lily and suggested that Frank was particularly good with his hands as well.

Instead, she took stock in the mirror at her finished look. She was wearing her favorite bum hugging trousers, a long sleeve black shirt that hugged her in all the right places, and a matching black jumper to keep her warm. She'd kept her makeup light and her hair braided to protect it from the wind. All in all, a simple look but she hadn't wanted to seem like she was trying too hard. After the flare for dramatics that Mary had, she imagined Eddie might appreciate something more lowkey.

"Alright my slaggy mates," Katie announced, interrupting a fairly vivid conversation about the importance of good hands. "I'm off. Wish me luck!"

"Happy Snogging!" Lily said cheerfully and Alice and Marlene dissolved into laughter again as Katie rolled her eyes and left them all sitting on her bed.

As she made her way down to the pitch, she suddenly realized she was fairly nervous. She'd spent so much of the day worrying about Mary, and Sirius and his antics, that she'd almost entirely forgotten to worry about what may or may not happen with Eddie.

But she was thinking about it now and felt slightly nauseous about it. Was Marlene right? Had she worn too many layers. Was he even going to snog her? They hadn't had a truly proper snog after all and while she knew that was likely to be her entire Hogsmeade _experience_ she wouldn't say no to a little practice and-

"Right on time," Eddie's cheerful greeting broke through her mild panic attack and she looked up at him startled, not realizing she'd reached the pitch. He laughed, "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

Smooth, Prewett.

She tried for a wobbly smile. It felt like there were about a hundred butterflies in her stomach suddenly, "No, no it's okay. I was just lost in thought."

"Don't think too hard," he teased and leaned against his broom with a playful look on his face. "This is about having fun tonight."

"Fun sounds great right about now," she said, attempting to match his easy tone.

"That's what I like to hear," he said with a grin and threw his leg over the broom. "Hop on and hold tight."

Happy to oblige, Katie lifted her leg over the broom behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Ready?" he asked over his shoulder and when she nodded he kicked off the ground and immediately went soaring up above the feel of his muscles bunching and contracting beneath her arms as he handled the broomstick made her face heat slightly and she was glad he couldn't see her.

Gliding out of the stands and across the grounds, Eddie brought the broom around to face west and she finally caught sight of the sunset.

"Wow," she breathed. He'd been right. It was pretty spectacular.

"This is my favorite view at Hogwarts," he told her and looked back at her over his shoulder. "Though I'll admit it's better with company."

She smiled and set her chin on his shoulder feeling unusually comfortable in the moment, "I have to agree."

Pressed together, their bodies were beginning to warm to one another and tilting the broom down to skim along the tops of the trees over the Forbidden Forest, Eddie settled even further into her arms. He kept a leisurely pace, flying lazily out over the trees and water of the lake as they watched the sun fall below the horizon.

When the last rays had finally disappeared below the horizon, they took the last dregs of warmth from the September air and despite her best efforts Katie found herself shivering in the breeze.

"Cold?" Eddie asked and automatically turned the broom back toward the Quidditch pitch.

"A bit," she admitted though the parts of her that were touching him were pleasantly warm. Still, it would be nice to get back on the ground. She never fully trusted herself on a broomstick anyway.

"I can fix that," he promised and moments later they landed softly in the long grass of pitch.

"You were right," Katie said as she climbed off the broom and looked up at the sky as the first light of the full moon broke over the trees. "That was beautiful."

When she returned her gaze to his, the look in his eyes had changed and she had the sudden feeling of prey caught in a trap. But the look disappeared when he smiled and he held a hand out to her as he threw his broom over his shoulder, "C'mon. Let's get this broom stored and we'll work on warming you up."

Shaking off her unease, she took his hand and followed him to the broom shed. He opened the door for her and followed her in. To her surprise, the interior was warm and cozy and a padded bench lined one wall to allow the players and Hagrid a place to lounge while servicing the brooms.

Eddie walked toward the back to store his broom and returned with a smile, "Better in here, yeah?"

"It's certainly cozy," she agreed and wasn't surprised when he stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Now then," he replied and the almost predatory look was back in his eye. "Let's see if we can't make it a little cozier."

Before Katie could respond, he dipped his head and captured her lips with his.

The kiss was gentle at first, searching, testing, and then becoming more demanding as his tongue flirted with her lower lip and then into her mouth. His hands, which he'd initially wrapped around her waist, slid lower and he hummed slightly in appreciation when his hands reached her bum.

A perfect kiss.

,And Katie found herself extremely underwhelmed.

Likely thanks to a certain aresehole who had apparently ruined her ability to truly enjoy it.

Determined that there was more here and that she was just emotionally exhausted from dealing with Sirius, she threw herself harder into the kiss and tried to stop thinking as Eddie had suggested.

He took her eager response as encouragement and without breaking his mouth from hers walked them back towards the bench against the wall. He promptly sat down and pulled her along with him, his hands now in her hair as he angled her head for a deeper kiss.

Kissing him was like sinking into a warm bath, she thought. Heavy and relaxing.

But not intoxicating, her mind insisted in betrayal.

Katie ignored it and threaded her own fingers through his hair, tugging gently.

With a low moan, Eddie broke his lips away from hers to lay her back against the cushions and run his mouth down her neck. Lightly pressing into her, his hands slid from her hair down to her waist where he began working his fingers under her jumper. His fingers were cool along her skin and she shivered slightly.

Eddie breathed a little heavier against the skin of her neck when he felt it and in response moved his hand to begin working the buttons of her pants open.

Katie's eyes flew open and she pushed herself back into a sitting position to stop Eddie's efforts.

He looked at her with heavy lidded eyes in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I, um, I don't think I'm quite ready for that," she began unsteadily.

"You seem like you're ready for it," he argued and leaned in to press his lips and tongue along her jaw and throat again as his fingers snuck back to her trouser buttons.

She placed a hand on his chest, pushing lightly, and he sat back with an irritated sigh, "What?"

"I just said I'm not ready," she repeated and frowned at him.

His sweet eagerness from earlier in the night seemed to have disappeared and he scowled at her, "Is this about Black? Because honestly I don't care if you're shagging him. We can still have a good time."

"What?" she exclaimed in surprise. "I am _not_ shagging Sirius Black and if I was I certainly wouldn't be here with you."

He smiled and she was strangely reminded of a dodgy cauldron salesman, "Then there's no problem here. Are you going to let me get you naked or not?"

Katie decided she'd heard enough and stood up, "Not."

"Oh come on," he argued and pulled her arm back towards him. "You can't tell me you haven't been thinking about it."

To be perfectly honest she hadn't, she suddenly realized. She had created this vision of Eddie in her head of this golden boy that would sweep her off her feet, take her in his arms, and kiss her passionately like some fairytale prince. Not some impatient, wheedling _creep_.

"I'm sorry Eddie," she shook her head and tried to free her arm from his grasp. "Thank you for the flight but I just...I just can't do this right now."

But he wouldn't let go of her arm and he was starting to get angry, "You know, Katie, you're an awful lot of work to be such a tease."

She reeled back as though she'd been slapped and looked at him in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he replied in disgust and finally released the death grip he had on her arm. "A tease. Mary was right about you. I should have listened."

Katie resisted the urge to pull her wand from her back pocket and satisfied herself with a dark scowl as she backed away from him, "And _everyone_ warned me that you were just like every other arsehole at this school. Looks like we were both fooled."

"I'm more than you even deserved," he scoffed with a dangerous glint in his eye and she was reminded strongly of her face off with Mary. Merlin, they bloody deserved each other.

Katie nodded her agreement as she finally reached the door, bumping into the handle with relief, "We'll agree to disagree on that."

When she saw Eddie's hand clench into a fist, she didn't wait around to see what else he had to say. The door knob was in her hand and with a twist she fled without a backwards glance from the broom shed and into the growing shadows of the evening. The castle loomed above her like a sanctuary and she focused on getting there hoping Eddie wouldn't follow too quickly.

As she neared the castle, she finally stopped running and as she caught her breath the full force of what had happened hit her like a ton of bricks.

Fucking hell. Was she going to spend the rest of her life cursed to fall for exactly the wrong bloody man? Always?

There was a dull throbbing in her chest that told her she was about to start crying and she fought the urge viciously. She was _not_ going to cry over another stupid bleeding boy.

Merlin, how could she have been so _stupid_?

* * *

"C'mon Wormtail," Sirius growled, standing impatiently by the door of their dormitory. "Moony is a bloody werewolf. He's not going to wait around for you to grab a scarf. You won't even need it once you've transformed."

Peter made a face at him, "I'm ready, then Mum. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Sirius ignored him.

"Did you check the map, Prongs?" he asked as he started down the staircase to the Common Room, James and Peter in to with Peter , in fact, frantically wrapping his scarf around his neck. When James didn't immediately answer, Sirius glanced behind him, "Prongs?"

James was frowning down at the Marauder's Map.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked as they paused inside the Portrait Hole.

"Lot of activity still on the grounds," he replied. "The cloak will only cover two of us at a time. We're going to have to make two trips."

"Moony has probably already changed," Sirius groaned in frustration as they climbed through the Portrait Hole and he glanced out the closest window at the moon rising over the forest. "Who the hell is in our way?"

"Katie Prewett for one," James informed him and lifted an amused eyebrow as they quietly made their way down the staircase to the sixth floor. "And she's alone."

Sirius barely acknowledged him, "And?"

"Eddie is still in the broom shed," James continued with interest and watched the dot that read 'Katherine Prewett' make it's way up the hill towards the castle. "Katie's moving pretty fast."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "She probably let the git shag her and realized how repulsive he is. I'd run too. C'mon, James we don't have _time_ for this."

James shook his head as he and Peter took off after Sirius, "She's going to come through the front door the same time we're trying to go _out_."

"Then we'll hide and wait until she's gone," Sirius hissed and crept close to the wall to look around the corner as they came to the marble staircase leading down to the entrance hall.

James and Peter exchanged a knowing look. While Sirius was right to be anxious to get to Remus, the actuality of him not caring whether Katie's date had gone badly or not was unlikely.

And they were right.

Sirius was dying with curiosity. The fact that she was coming back to the castle alone probably meant that things hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd been hoping and he'd have been lying if he wasn't hoping that was the case. But he wasn't going to give James the satisfaction of knowing he was right, and they truly did need to get to Remus as soon as possible.

Seeing that the entrance way was empty, he motioned for James and Peter to follow him and they all crept down the staircase to head towards the same alcove beneath the stairs that Sirius and Katie had hid in when coming back from the kitchens.

"It's not dark enough," Peter hissed and scowled at the two larger boys as they crowded him into the alcove and James pulled out the invisibility cloak. "She could see us."

"Get down, idiot," was James only reply and as they each squatted down he threw the invisibility cloak over them and finally joined them to wait for Katie to get clear of the Entrance Hall.

The front doors started to creak open within seconds and they all held their breath instinctively. After years of creeping around the castle together, they practically moved in unison without thinking.

Sirius watched intently as Katie came through the door noting she looked behind her anxiously before shutting the doors firmly behind her. As she turned back, he caught sight of her face and he had to fight the urge to stand up.

She looked _devastated_.

He heard James let his breath out through his nose next to him and then felt an elbow in his rib, "Go on, Padfoot. Make sure she's all right."

"No, no she can handle it herself," Sirius whispered but was already starting to get to his feet. He looked at James undecided, "Are you sure?"

"Go," James said again. "I'll take Wormtail down and come back for you. Just get her away from the door. You've got fifteen minutes."

Sirius nodded and slipped from beneath the cloak without revealing the other two. Katie had paused near the door and seemed to be just trying to breathe. Not wanting to startle her, he slid along the base of the staircase as quietly as he could and while she was looking down, arranged himself near the base of the staircase to make it look like he'd just come down the stairs as she'd walked in the door.

He watched her silently, wanting to let her notice him first.

After a few more deep breaths, she seemed to have gotten control of herself again and lifted her head as she began moving towards the staircase. It took a few seconds for her to register that there was someone else in the entrance hall with her.

When she realized it was Sirius she stopped dead in her tracks and her face turned cold.

He sighed. Of course she was going to make this difficult, "Evening, Prewett."

"What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped suspiciously. _Why_ did he always turn up at the worst times?

"Not waiting for you, I swear," Sirius replied lightly and tried to appear unphased by her aggressive tone. "Everything all right?"

He could see quite clearly that it wasn't. But considering the last few days, he wasn't in any position to offer comfort. Still, if he needed to go kick someone's arse he was happy to oblige.

He could see her fighting to keep up her angry front but the effort was too much and her face crumbled slightly as she wrapped her arms around her torso in a clear act of self soothing. She looked at him with a look of hurt and - was that betrayal? - as she made her way over to the stairs, "No. No it's not _all bloody right_!"

Sirius' eyes narrowed as James and Peter slipped silently out the front doors, "Did he hurt you?"

She saw the concern in his eyes and scowled. No, Eddie Bones hadn't hurt her, not in the way Sirius meant. But on a much deeper level, he'd ripped open a deep, freshly healed scar. And yes, _it hurt_.

And in a way Sirius was partly responsible. Hadn't she promised herself that she wasn't going to involve herself with any boy, no matter how fit and charming because it just wasn't worth this rubbish? It was all Sirius and his stupid dating lessons, and flirting, and kissing that had made it all go wrong. What _right_ did he have to stand there and look worried about her?

She suddenly found she didn't have to try to be angry anymore.

"It's none of your business what happened," Katie finally exploded and whipped her wand out as her temper snapped. Sirius took a cautious step back. "It was never your bloody business in the first place. If you hadn't gotten involved none of this would have ever happened."

Sirius highly doubted that but wisely decided now was not the time to point it out considering her wand was pointed at his throat.

He raised his hands defensively but couldn't prevent the slight growl in his voice, "Okay fine. It's my fault. But if he hurt you I swear I'll hang him by-"

"No!" she exclaimed again and stepped closer to him, wand raised higher in her fury. "Nope. No. You do not get to be noble. You are _just_ as bad as him and I'm done with all of your rubbish and head games and driving me absolutely barmy and...and…"

The tears she'd fought so hard to control were starting to break through her anger and she sucked in several deep breaths, stumbling over her words as she tried to get a grip on her emotions.

Damn it, she didn't want to cry in front of him.

But the tears came anyway, and the second she dropped her wand hand Sirius stepped forward without thinking to take her face in his hands.

"Hey now," he murmured comfortingly, hardly aware of what he was saying as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. Remus would have recognized the gentle tone as the one he often used after Remus had had a particularly rough change. "Hey, it's okay. Listen, he's shit. He's literal shit. He's not worth the ground you walk on, Prewett."

The 'I told you so' was balanced precariously on his lips but he again chose to keep that to himself. For the moment.

Katie continued to suck in breaths, letting his hands soothe her back into a state where she could think coherently. Not because she wanted them there but because she wasn't sure she would have stayed upright without them.

After a few moments, the tears slowed and her breath hitched a few more times until she found enough strength to step away from him.

Sirius let her and they stood there in silence until she finally looked up at him. And the look she gave him was unnerving. Calm, collected, and emotionless. It was honestly sort of terrifying to see and he suddenly wanted very badly to use Eddie as a punching bag for taking the light out of her eyes.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. Reason was returning as her temper ebbed and she knew it wasn't really his fault that she was hurting but some small part of her was always going to blame him anyway. She pressed her lips together suddenly uncomfortable, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this."

Sirius nodded, "Of course."

So accommodating, she mused but wasn't terribly comforted. Her reason had also opened the door for humiliation and she suddenly wanted to get as far away from Sirius as possible knowing he likely wouldn't want anything to do with her anymore now that the game was over and he no longer had any competition.

He had been right after all, she thought bitterly as she turned away to head up the stairs. Blokes like Eddie didn't go for girls like her. Not really.

"Prewett, wait," Sirius placed a hand on her arm to stop her, unsure what else he wanted to say but knowing he couldn't let her just leave like that.

She paused and simply looked back at him.

Dropping his hand, he stuck both his hands in his pockets with a shrug, "He's a complete git. Don't forget that, yeah?"

A small, jaded smile touched her lips, "I won't forget."

She wouldn't ever forget again.

Without another word, she turned and walked calmly up the stairs and out of sight, leaving Sirius standing alone on the marble steps.

"That went, er, well?" James muttered a few moments later and removed his cloak, suddenly standing just below Sirius at the foot of the staircase.

Sirius gave him a bland look, not bothering to ask how long he'd been standing there, and joined him with one last glance after Katie. He shook his head, "It could have gone better."

"What are you going to do about it?" James asked promptly and offered a wicked grin. "I've had a prank list especially for Bones for quite some time. I'd love to hear your thoughts."

Sirius snorted, "Not that I don't love the idea Prongs, but I think Katie might appreciate something more...personal in nature."

"Meaning?" James asked, his eyes glinting mischievously behind his glasses.

"Meaning I'll need to borrow your wizard's hat, I've no idea where mine is," Sirius said with a grin.

James frowned, "I don't follow."

Sirius yanked the cloak from his hands and covered them both, already planning the next morning out in his head, "I've got a bet to make good on, Prongs."

* * *

ASiriusObsession xoxo


	11. Chapter 11 - Want You Bad

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's world. Only Katie belongs to meeee :)**

I KNOW. It's been a loooooong time since I updated but I don't regularly have access to a computer so I've been writing the old fashioned way and typing it up. So. I apologize. Updates will be sporadic from now on. But the story is still stuck in my brain!

 **Track 11: Want You Bad**

 _If you could only read my mind_  
 _You would know that I've been waiting_  
 _So long_  
 _For someone almost just like you_  
 _But with attitude, I'm waiting, so come on_

* * *

 **Monday, September 26, 1977**

It took her approximately eight hours and no sleep to realize she was being over dramatic.

It had begun with staring up into the dark canopy of her four poster thinking she was a right idiot for setting herself up for heartbreak again and ended with her finally being able to admit that feeling sorry for herself was going to get her nowhere and that maybe what had happened had been for the best. Because really? Was she _actually_ that heartbroken that Eddie had turned out to be such a complete and total arse? Was she even surprised for that matter?

The answer was a definite no.

And in truth, he had saved her a lot of trouble revealing his true intentions before she had become too invested. She ought to be thankful for that right? Even if she did still feel he deserved a proper hex to the face?

Really, the fact that he had been involved with Mary MacDonald at all should have been her first warning. But then she'd never been one to heed the warning signs as evidenced by her rather depressing track record with boys.

And, honestly, the more she thought about it, the more she suspected that things likely wouldn't have worked out with Eddie anyway. After years of daydreaming about him, she'd managed to created this perfect picture in her head of what Eddie would do, what he would say, how he would kiss her, how he would just totally sweep her off her feet and fall madly in love with her. Now that the illusion was shattered, it was obvious her version of Eddie had been nothing more than a fantasy.

It didn't excuse him from being a utter tosser, of course. And it certainly didn't excuse the almost violent turn he'd taken when she'd refused to let him into her knickers. But it made her feel better about mucking up yet another relationship and helped confirm the fact that she should have stuck to her guns and avoided boys in general until she graduated.

Which brought up another embarrassing onslaught of emotions that had to be dealt with.

Sirius.

There was no way of avoiding him, she knew. He took all the same classes, lived in the same bleeding Tower, and had a strange knack of showing up when she least wanted him. Not to mention the mind blowing kiss they'd shared and his promise that he wouldn't let her forget it. Which he hadn't.

Another problem, that kiss...

Just the idea of it made her face heat and her body restless. She was never going to be able to handle Sirius logically when her body insisted on reacting so traitorously to him. Even if she tried to ignore him as she'd promised, it was very likely going to make her miserable in the process.

And that's when she had yet another realization. Maybe...if she just got it out of her system…

Maybe it would stop.

That was Sirius' style anyway right? Hook up and then get the hell out?

The idea was oddly appealing and Katie suddenly found herself imagining the look on Sirius' face when she propositioned him. It couldn't hurt to try, right? He clearly wanted her. And her body, at least, also wanted him. It was perfect really when she thought about it. Especially considering anything more than that with anyone of the male species seemed to result in utter disaster most of the time. It was the perfect solution to both their problems.

Armed with the confidence that making a plan always gave her, she emerged from her four poster sanctuary ready to take on the day and spent the rest of the weekend comforted by her best mates (who all agreed Eddie was an evil toad). She even found herself disappointed when Monday arrived and she still hadn't run into Sirius.

Leave it to him to suddenly disappear when she actually wanted him around for a change.

Still, walking down to breakfast that morning with Alice, she was feeling more herself than she had the entire term thus far. And that was a decided improvement.

"Wait up!"

Katie and Alice turned halfway down the seventh floor corridor to see Lily jogging after them with a wave of her hand. Both girls noted she was looking particularly happy after having disappeared for a 'Head Meeting' with James the night before and then failed to find her way back to her own bed.

"Good morning," Alice offered with a smirk. "Sleep well in the corridor then?"

While girls were technically able to get into the boys' dormitories, Alice and Katie both knew James' mates would never have given them enough privacy to stay together in his bed. So they had to have stayed _somewhere._

Lily laughed as a light blush dusted her cheeks but wasn't terribly forthcoming, "It was a rather cozy, er, corridor."

"Yes," Katie replied conspiratorially, remembering Sirius' secret room suddenly and thinking she could take a good guess as to just _how_ cozy. "The tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy _is_ surprisingly magical."

Lily look at Katie in surprise before both girls erupted into laughter and Alice looked between the two of them confused. The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Am I missing something?"

"Don't worry about it," Katie grinned, thinking again how light she felt after her sleepless night of reflection. "We'll tell you when you're older."

"Yes," Lily agreed hoping for a change of subject. "Besides I've got something more important to tell you. Dumbledore has scheduled the first student meeting for the Order of the Phoenix for later this week. Were you both still interested in joining?"

"Of course," Katie said with excitement and Alice nodded her agreement. "I'd nearly forgotten!"

"Brilliant," Lily beamed as they started down the marble staircase towards the Great Hall. "It'll only be a handful of us this first time but James and I have already been working with them since the start of term and we thought it was time others joined in."

"Will other members of the Order be there?" Alice asked curiously. "I've been reading about Mad-Eye Moody in The Underground and I'm just dying to meet him."

"You know The Underground is complete rubbish right? It's all a bunch of conspiracy theories," Lily laughed but glanced knowingly at Katie. "But sadly, no, Moody won't be in attendance but Molly Weasley and Dedalus Diggle will be there."

"Molly is coming to Hogwarts this week?" Katie exclaimed and felt a warm rush of happiness. With all the madness so far this term, it would be nice to see her steady, logical cousin.

"Yes, she and Diggle will be providing a brief orientation for this first recruitment round," she lowered her voice slightly as they walked into the Great Hall. "But please don't mention this to anyone else. Dumbledore asked that James and I limit this information to just the people we'd asked to join us."

"Understandable," Alice nodded as they say down near the end of the Gryffindor table. "The Ministry is still denying that there's actually a war going on. I can only imagine what they would do to get their hands on the Order."

"Quite a bit according to Dumbledore," Lily informed them with a dark look. She poured herself a cup of tea and shook her head, "There's rumors that the Minister might be a traitor."

"Does Dumbledore believe that?" Katie asked and glanced up as James, Remus, and Peter sat down across from them. She was slightly relieved to see Sirius wasn't with them. That conversation was not one to have over breakfast. She looked back at Lily, "Don't you think Dumbledore would do something about it?"

"He doesn't really believe the rumors, I don't think," Lily agreed and frowned at the strange look on her boyfriend's face as he started piling waffles on his plate. "But it's important to stay up to date on what's being whispered in the shadows. Dear Merlin, what _is_ the matter with you, Potter?'

"Eh?" James looked up at the girls but the odd look on his face remained. "What's that?"

"You look as if you've just seen your mother naked," Alice replied helpfully and Remus and Peter both snorted in laughter at how close she'd come to the truth. It instantly made the girls more suspicious.

"Out with it," Lily demanded, eyes narrowing. "What are you up to James Potter?"

"Me? I'm not up to anything," James insisted but couldn't seem to control his face. "Though if you're interested I could use a new wizard's hat for Christmas?"

"Christmas?" Lily repeated bewildered. "What in the world are you on about?"

"Just think about it come Christmas," he insisted dryly and went back to his waffles.

The girls exchanged confused looks when suddenly Remus slapped a hand over his face and groaned, "Godric's beard, I didn't think he'd actually go through with it."

"Go through with what?" Lily asked curiously and glanced suspiciously at James when he buried his face in his waffles suddenly shaking with laughter. "What's going on here? Somebody better start explaining."

"Well you see, it's, um, well...that," Peter replied helpfully and pointed towards the door of the Great Hall and snickering into his other hand.

The three girls turned to look and Katie immediately choked on her toast.

"Oh Merlin, no," she breathed and shook her head in denial as if it might magically change the fact that Sirius Black was walking across the Great Hall towards her.

Mostly naked.

James' wizard's hat over his crotch was the only thing preventing him from being _completely_ naked.

Katie turned back around in her seat quickly, silently praying that a teacher would stop him before he got to their table. This _wasn't_ happening. How could this be happening? Was she being punished for thinking about snogging him? Was it karma? Dear Merlin and Agrippa, what had she done?

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" Unfortunately Sirius' voice reached her ears despite her best mental efforts and he paused casually next to the table as though he hadn't just waltzed across the Great Hall in his birthday suit.

When no one answered his good morning salute, James came valiantly to the rescue.

Though rescue _wasn't_ the term Katie would have used.

"Bit drafty," he suggested, fighting to keep a straight face. "Terribly drafty, in fact. Don't you think he looks a bit chilly, Katie?"

She glared at James. She had been doing everything in her power _not_ to look at Sirius. She crossed her arms and looked up at the bewitched ceiling, "How should I know?"

"I'm actually quite comfortable, thanks for asking," Sirius replied and she couldn't help the quick glance over at him. He gave her a cocky smirk. "Your concern is touching."

Katie felt her cheeks get hot again. She should have known better, thinking she would be the one in control of things with...whatever it was between them. In truth, she'd nearly forgotten about the terms of their bet and, while it was arguable whether he had lost said bet, she really should have seen this coming. And now instead of the quick, quiet snog she'd been hoping for the whole damn school was going to be talking about them. Again.

Well she wasn't going to let him get the best of her. Lifting her chin slightly, she willed the blood in her face to cool and gave him her best glare, "You're an idiot, Black."

In response, his smirk became a full fledged grin and he gave a quick bow, keeping the wizard hat securely in place, "At your service, Prewett. Always."

Gods, he was impossible, she thought but couldn't help admiring the stream of tattoos down one side of his chest. She really shouldn't be attracted to such a cocky, moronic, gorgeous, exhibitionist. She wondered briefly if she was losing touch with reality.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat from behind Sirius, interrupting Katie's preoccupation with her sanity and Sirius' shoulders.

Everyone else looked up to find Dumbledore standing strategically behind Sirius with a carefully blank look on his face. He offered a small smile, "Mr. Black, it seems you may have forgotten a few articles of clothing this morning. May I escort you back to the Tower to remedy that?"

Remus choked on his coffee and James completely lost his composure into his waffles again as Sirius turned towards Dumbledore giving the Gryffindors a lovely view of his bum and causing Katie to briefly close her eyes in both amusement and mortification. She wasn't going to think about the fact that he had quite a nice bum. She wasn't.

"Sure thing, Headmaster," Sirius replied with a charming grin but glanced over his shoulder at Katie, who was finding the ceiling incredibly interesting yet again. He was intrigued to find, however, that she almost looked as amused with him as she was irritated. It was a start. "Hey Prewett?"

Katie fixed her face with a scowl and looked over at him, careful to avoid looking anywhere but at his face because she was certain she would betray herself, "Yes?"

"You're lovely when you're angry," he replied and winked ridiculously at her when she clenched her jaw. He turned good naturedly toward Dumbledore, "Shall we, Headmaster?"

And with what could only be called a swagger, Sirius led the way from the Great Hall with Albus Dumbledore bringing up the rear (or rather covering it, as it were) and the whole hall promptly exploded with thunderous applause.

But much to Katie's disappointment, the fun did not stop there.

After having escaped breakfast with everyone mostly swallowing her vague story about Sirius losing a bet with her and hence parading through the Great Hall totally starkers, she walked into Transfiguration thinking McGonagall and her lack of tolerance for anything foolish would protect her from the worst of it.

But sitting on the desk, in her usual seat, was a familiar black wizard's hat.

"Oh Merlin," Alice began giggling. "Someone's left you a present."

Face burning once again, she rushed forward to stuff the stupid thing in her bag before anyone else saw and in doing so knocked a note that had been tucked underneath it to the floor. Alice helpfully scooped it off the floor and handed it to her with a sunny smile.

"Thanks," Katie muttered and snatching the note from her hand, slid into her desk trying not to think about the hat and what it had most recently been used for.

As the rest of the class started streaming in and filling the seats around her, she very carefully opened Sirius' note.

 _ **Katie,**_

 _ **You really were lovely this morning. I'm not sorry I lost the bet.**_

 _ **Keep the hat.**_

 _ **Sirius**_

Calmly folding the note, she slipped it back into her bag and, staring directly ahead of her, attempted to assess the incredibly alarming feeling in her stomach. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to hex him or kiss him. Perhaps both.

It was no use. If she was going to get it out of her system she would have to do it soon. He would only start to get ideas if she dragged it out and after this morning's stunt she really didn't care for that thought. Besides, then they could peacefully go their separate ways and it would be like none of this had ever happened. No more bets, no lessons, just a normal seventh year.

Confident in her resolve, she sat up a little straighter in her chair. She was going to snog Sirius Black's brains out.

It was kind of liberating.

* * *

When James Potter got something in his head, anyone except perhaps Lily Evans would be hard put to displace it. She was often heard referring to it as hard headed, but James called it persistence. And it very rarely failed him. Lily, herself, was proof of that.

But more than that, he was also incredibly loyal and at the moment he wanted nothing more than to see his best mate and brother happy. And that meant convincing Katie Prewett that she was going to give Sirius a chance. Or let him snog her at the very least so the idiot would stop barking at everyone.

Which was exactly why James had stationed himself conveniently outside the library that evening, having needled Alice until she'd shared with him that Katie had a study group that night and would likely head back to the tower around 7 o'clock.

He glanced down at his watch. It was 6:58. Any second now, she'd be leaving the library.

He leaned casually against the wall to wait and, sure enough, two minutes later his target emerged with an look of intense contemplation on her face.

"Evening Prewett," he called and pushed himself off the wall as she paused to look round at him.

She frowned suspiciously, "James. Can I help you with something?"

"Not at all," he replied with an easy smile and fell into step beside her. "It's me who can do something for you."

She looked up at him doubtfully, "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this conversation much?"

"Well that's entirely up to you, mate," he replied with a shrug and absently took her books from her. He didn't seem to notice he'd done it.

She shook her head, marveling at the complexity that went on behind these boys and their pretty faces. On the surface, they had always seemed so careless and shallow to her but the more she got to know them the more she realized there was a lot more to it.

"Get on with it then," she said grudgingly. Her chances of actually getting away from James Potter and his 'help' were miniscule at best. She might as well hear what he had to say.

He heaved a sigh, "You know he's not as bad as he seems."

"Who?" she asked lightly, though she had a fairly good idea. She'd been thinking about him all day.

"Sirius," he said flatly and squinted curiously at her. "Who else?"

"Not as bad as he seems," she repeated and pretended exasperation. She wasn't sure if she should share her intentions with him or not. "I'd have to disagree with that. He's a bit worse than 'as bad as he seems', actually."

"Look," James insisted. "I know he's a bloody show off, alright? But his heart is in the right place. Er, most of the time."

"Well that's reassuring but I wasn't aware his heart had anything to do with it," Katied quipped and glanced sideways at James.

James chuckled, "He'd kill me if he knew I was telling you this but I'm convinced if you understand him you'll be more..."

He paused.

"Willing?" she asked helpfully and James nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly," he said and beamed at her.

She looked up at him in amusement, "Well I-"

"Wait," he interrupted, mistaking her amusement for annoyance. "Just hear me out first, okay? Then you can go on ignoring him for the rest of eternity if that's what you want. But you should know some things first."

Curious, and thinking it probably couldn't hurt to have some inside information considering what she was about to do, she stayed silent and let him continue.

"Sirius has been a right arse most of his life. He can't help it," James began, taking Katie's silence as acceptance, and she snorted in appreciation. "It's in his blood. But he's also the most loyal person I've ever met. I'm not going to insult your intelligence by feeding you any rubbish about how he's secretly this sweet, amenable bloke. He's a stubborn jackass most of the time. But when he's _your_ stubborn jackass, when he feels he belongs to you… Well shit, Prewett, he'd die for you."

The depth in James' voice as he spoke had Katie looking up at him again. Obviously James was one of those people Sirius felt he belonged to. Was James implying that she had somehow become one of those people too? The emotions that thought elicited did _not_ sit well in her chest.

"He's also irrational and flys off the cuff a lot," he added quickly, sensing a change in her mood, and he pushed his glasses back up his nose a bit anxiously. "Hence, his little streaking show today. He doesn't usually think, he just reacts. But you should know that what he did today was for you. It wasn't just some stupid stunt to get your attention. If you can believe it, it was his way of apologizing."

"Apologizing?" Katie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "For what exactly?"

"For Eddie," James responded and glanced down at her with a lopsided smile. "He wouldn't admit it. Not even to me. But I know he blames himself for you getting involved with that wanker. He'd gladly have served detention every Saturday night from now until end of term if it meant he could help you forget about him."

"Well it _is_ sort of his fault," she stated flatly but there was a small smile on her face. James was flirting with a slow, painful death by sharing any of this with her and she decided she should probably return the favor. "But if it makes you feel better I've decided to snog him senseless."

"Yes, but Prewett you don't-"

James suddenly stopped in his tracks, his argument ceasing as he realized what she'd actually said to him, "Sorry. Did you say you're going to snog him?"

She nodded decisively, stopping to face him even as her cheeks suddenly flamed, "I am."

James smirked, impressed, "To be honest with you, I reckoned you'd make him work for it a bit more. I'm a bit disappointed. It's not often I get to watch him sort through his feelings like this."

"What do you mean feelings?" she asked uncomfortably and was reminded that James had told her that Sirius' naked waltz through the Great Hall had been because he felt bad. That did not seem promising.

James smirked as he started walking down the corridor again causing her to rush to keep up, "Well it's just my opinion of course, but I'm fairly certain he's smitten with you."

"Smitten," Katie said and made a face. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"You know," he replied with a shrug. "He's falling for you."

Katie's stomach dropped, "And what makes you think that?"

"Well he hasn't tried to get you in bed yet," James told her. Completely serious. "That's unusual in itself. But he also gets this pained look on his face every time he talks about you like he can't quite figure out why you don't sit comfortably in his head."

He glanced down at her, "Sirius is rubbish when it comes to showing affection, in case you hadn't noticed. It's not his fault, poor sod. His mother is a cold-blooded hag and the rest of his family might be worse. But I'd put money on it that he can't stop thinking about you."

Join the club, she thought ruefully and stamped out the bit of hope that was booming in her chest. James, having recently found himself in a very happy relationship, was currently looking at the world through rose colored glasses she reminded herself. While she trusted that he knew Sirius better than anyone was likely to, she wondered if maybe his opinions weren't skewed slightly by the fact that he was thoroughly and completely in love and wished the same for his best mate. Sirius just didn't seem the type, even after his uncharacteristic pursuit of her. And she wasn't falling for it.

"He hasn't actually told you any of this though?" she pressed. "This is just speculation, right?"

James paused again. They had reached the Portrait Hole.

He raised an eyebrow, "Yes, it's speculation. But I happen to know Sirius fairly well."

She had expected as much and relaxed a bit. She sighed, "Well you should know then that I don't intend to fall for him. That's not what this is about."

James gave her a skeptical look, "But you want to snog him? Senseless, I believe you said?"

"Exactly," she replied firmly. "The two things don't have to be exclusive."

He laughed at the determined expression on her face, "Snogging him and falling for him you mean? Have you forgotten who we're dealing with then, Prewett? Who are you trying to convince with that rubbish?"

"I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything," she exclaimed annoyed at the way he easily dismissed her carefully laid plan. "That's the whole point. I just need to get it - get _him_ \- out of my system. It's not anymore complicated than that."

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much," he replied in amusement as the color rose in her cheeks.

"Oh shut up," she snapped and took her books back from him. "Who asked you anyway?"

"I suppose you didn't," he replied and stuck his now empty hands in his pockets. "But he is my best mate, Prewett. And I'm telling you right now it's not going to be that simple."

"Why not?" she demanded a bit petulant. "Isn't it always that easy for him? He's a heartbreaker, that's what he does."

"You're not wrong," James agreed but shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it. I just know it's different this time. You're different. Something about you got under his skin." He grinned, "If it makes you feel better, he doesn't like it either."

"It doesn't," she informed him and blushed again when he laughed at her. "But I still think you're wrong and I think he'll prefer my way over yours."

James gave the Fat Lady the password and they climbed through together, "You could be right. And even if you're not, he's very good at talking himself out his feelings so he'll probably go along with whatever your propose."

Katie wasn't sure how she felt about that but, to some degree, it was comforting. She took a deep breath, "Well good. Because I don't intend to drag this out."

James regarded her for a moment, hiding the depth of his amusement from her. Poor girl, she was just as far gone as Sirius. He couldn't resist giving her a little push.

"Well, you've stood your ground against him this long. I'm sure you can handle yourself," he told her and glanced once more at her before heading up the stairs to his dormitory. "Oh by the way, Sirius has detention in the Trophy Room tonight. I reckon he'll be there a while. Have a good night, Prewett."

She stared after him with a mixture of irritation and interest. What exactly did he expect her to do with that information? She wasn't going to get Sirius naked in a public place where they could get caught.

And then suddenly something he'd said came floating back to her.

' _I reckoned you'd make him work for it a bit more,'_ he'd said.

She had to admit, the situation did have possibilities. But playing games like that with him, when she didn't intend to stick around, wasn't it a bit hypocritical? It would make her just as bad as him, as Eddie.

But it _would_ put her in control for a change and that was decidedly appealing.

She reflected for a moment, wondering just how much her time with Sirius had corrupted her that she was having these thoughts. Maybe she _should_ make him work a little harder before she let him have what he really wanted. Would that be so bad? To let a boy chase her once, enjoy his attention, and not have any expectations?

A little voice in the back of her head told her she was playing with fire. Girls fell in love with Sirius Black every hour of every day and he never returned their feelings. But the lack of feelings in this arrangement was what was so enticing to her (no matter what James thought) and her lips tingled slightly remembering his kiss. Maybe it was time she took his advice and stopped thinking so much. They were young. There was a war on. And if she knew nothing else in the world, she knew Sirius Black would kiss her like that again if she gave him the chance. She'd always been too much of a romantic perhaps it was time to be a little wicked.

Feeling slightly reckless but determined, she hurried up the stairs to her dormitory to find something more appropriate to wear. She had a detention to crash.

* * *

She'd nearly turned back half a dozen times before she finally found herself standing in front of the Trophy Room. And now that she was, she was still contemplating running back to the Tower.

This idea had been good in theory. But in practice?

Would Sirius even go for it? He had proven many times over in his lessons that he was much better at... _everything_ than she was. He would probably laugh in her face at her proposal. Tell her that kiss had just been some stupid joke, something to do because he'd been bored.

The wanker.

She clenched her fists and nearly convinced herself that she was okay with being a coward when she caught the sound of a metallic thump and an impressive stream of cursing. It reminded her of the afternoon she'd found him struggling with the Venomous Tentacula and she suddenly felt a little steadier.

Okay. She could do this. She could totally seduce Sirius Black.

And taking a deep breath, she stepped through the doorway into the dimly lit Trophy Room.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did, she found him standing at the top of a step ladder and glaring up at one of the low hanging lights as he gingerly touched the cut on his forehead. It was really unfair how adorable he looked when he was pissed off.

She cleared her throat as much for her sake as his, "Having some trouble, Starboy?"

Sirius' head shot up at the sound of her voice and he nearly hit his head again. When his eyes found her near the door, he smirked as if he'd known she would come, "Depends on what you're referring to."

"You're bleeding, idiot," she replied dryly and took a few more steps into the room as he headed down the step ladder to meet her. She felt a small thrill of anxiety and excitement as he made his way down but did her best to appear unphased.

"Wasn't paying attention," he informed her ruefully and glared up at the light again. "It's sharp."

"I can see that," she replied, riding the edge of her sarcasm so she wouldn't lose her nerve. She looked around for a place to sit him down, she was going to have to heal that cut before they got down to business. Feelings or no, she couldn't stand to see anyone in pain. There was a bench along the wall behind her and she gestured to it, "Let me help."

He glanced at the bench and then back at her and she could see the resistance on his face. She rolled her eyes, genuinely exasperated, "Stop being such a hero. It's just a little cut. It's not going to hurt me."

"Shit Prewett. Can't a bloke at least _pretend_ to be noble once in a while?" he made a face but agreeably made his way over to the bench.

She waited for him to walk past. He'd discarded his tie and button down in favor of the black tshirt he was wearing underneath while he worked and she took in his bare arms and broad chest in appreciation. Tall and somewhat lanky compared to his mates, Sirius didn't seem quite so muscular when he was around James, but up close and personal it always surprised her how solid he was. And she suddenly wished she had an excuse to get him out of his shirt.

Calm down, Prewett, she coached herself. One step at a time.

He gave her a curious look when she didn't immediately join him on the bench, "Alright, Prewett?"

She shook her head and blinked a few times before offering him her best smile, "Fine. I was just thinking that you always seem to injure yourself around me."

"It's not on purpose," he grumbled and rubbed the back of his head. He was finding it hard to place her mood. Right now, she was playing it cool but he had the distinct impression something else was lingering under the surface. One corner of his mouth lifted as he speculated, "Though I'll admit you've saved me a lot of abuse from Pomfrey this term."

"Well perhaps you should be more careful and she might be kinder," she suggested joining him near the bench. She lifted his chin with her finger so she could see the cut on his forehead better.

He lifted an amused eyebrow as she studied the cut, "But then you'd stop coming to my rescue and I'm starting to get pretty used to it. Ow!"

He hissed through his teeth when she probed gently around the cut and despite her intention to remain aloof for the moment she bit her lip in sympathy, "Sorry. You've already got one hell of a bruise forming. I have to know how deep it goes before I can heal it."

His eyes were watering slightly but he gave a good natured shrug, "If it gets your hands on me, I won't complain."

She let her breath out through her nose in amusement before she could stop it, "You're a glutton for punishment, Starboy. Speaking of which, you didn't have to do what you did this morning. I would never have held you to it after Eddie's rubbish and I still technically think you won that bet. We might not have gone to Hogsmeade but we technically had a date. It's not your fault he was a tosser about it."

Sirius scowled fiercely as Katie gently arranged her fingers around the outer edges of the bruise that was forming, "I proposed the terms so I made the call. I didn't win."

"Well thank you," she said quietly and gently let her magic reach out and into him to distract her from the irritated look on his face. She pulled the blood of the bruise back towards the cut in her mind and imagined the cut closing just as a quick sharp pain in her own forehead told her that she'd been successful.

"Mmm," Sirius hummed as the warm sensation stemming from Katie's fingertips eased the ache in his head. "You deserved better than you got, Prewett. It was the least I could do. Eddie's a complete git. I should have known he'd fuck it up. Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked down at him, taken by surprise at the offer, "Uh, no. No, it's okay. There's nothing much to tell I guess. He just... wasn't what I thought he'd be."

She tilted her head to the side considering the careful attention Sirius was giving her, "Seems to be a trend recently."

His grey eyes suddenly became a few shades darker at the suggestion in her voice. He'd definitely understood her meaning.

He reached out a hand and tugged her gently forward to stand between his legs. He'd been dying to slide his hands up her legs since the minute she walked in so he took a moment to let his hands wander up the back of her legs, keeping it subtle, while he tried to decipher what was going through her head, "Is that so? Does that mean you've been thinking about the other night?"

His fingers on her bare thighs were sending goose bumps along every inch of her skin and she had to swallow forcefully before answering his question, "I have."

"And?" he asked, his voice low and slightly deeper than it had been a moment before. His hands had stopped their light, playful exploration at her admission and they were now wrapped possessively around the back of her thighs.

She considered answering him but thought maybe there was a better way to get her point across.

Taking a deep breath, she slid her hands into his hair and slowly lowered her mouth onto his.

The effect was electric. His hands immediately clamped harder around her legs, sending shocks of excitement toward her belly, and though she controlled the kiss, his mouth demanded more, teeth grazing her lips in invitation.

Taking the hint, she moved closer into him and tentatively slid her tongue along his bottom lip. He hummed appreciatively into her mouth opening his own to let his tongue dance teasingly with hers. Her body responded with a shudder and she felt Sirius' hands reflexively move upward to squeeze her bum in response, a low growl in his throat.

"Fuck Prewett," he muttered against her mouth and immediately anchored his hands under her so that he could pull her on top of him to straddle his legs.

The position was intimate and maddening and she found herself reaching for more. Molding her mouth to his again, insistent and eager.

It drove Sirius over an edge he hadn't been aware he'd been balancing on and he gripped her hips with a growl and licked and nipped his way down her neck, pausing to tease his tongue along the edge of her shirt when what he really wanted was to bury his face between her breasts. He honestly hadn't expected her to willingly melt into his arms like this when she'd walked in the room. He'd been prepared to beg, for forgiveness, for a kiss, for whatever got her into his arms. But he hadn't prepared himself for her to skip that part or for this ridiculous assault to his system. It was a hell of a ride.

When she dropped her head back in surrender to his teasing, he latched his mouth onto her neck again and had to physically force himself not to rip open her shirt so he could fill his mouth with more of her. God, he just wanted her naked under him. She tasted like sin.

He sank his teeth none too gently into her shoulder and she lifted her head, whimpering in a way that had his gut clenching. She murmured his name against his ear and he reached a hand up to bring her face and mouth back to his own, burying his other hand in her hair.

Katie was starting to feel dizzy from the barrage of feeling and perhaps a little shell shocked as well. After that first kiss, she had been confident she knew what to expect from him but now, wrapped around him, with his hands doing wicked things wherever they touched her, she realized that they had only scratched the surface that first time. Sirius' reputation wasn't just talk. The boy knew what he was doing.

As if reading her thoughts, his hands slid from her hair and down her back until they were cupped around her bum again and pushing her up against his chest.

Merlin, everything about him felt good. She was starting to feel like she was on fire and was seriously contemplating letting it consume her. Had she really thought she could control this?

For his part, Sirius was having similar thoughts. Every whimper and moan he elicited from her nearly killed him and he was starting to have trouble thinking straight.

"Katie," he groaned, breaking his mouth from hers and burying his face in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist in an attempt to anchor himself. His breath was coming heavy as her own chest heaved against him, "I need-"

He swallowed. He was having trouble forming coherent thoughts.

But his momentary loss of control brought Katie back to her senses. Despite any plans she may or may not have made, she hadn't planned to let him get her naked in the middle of the Trophy Room and if they weren't careful that's where they were going to end up if they kept on like this.

She took a few steadying breaths and pushed his shoulders gently away from her so that he leaned back to look up at her.

Her lips were swollen and her eyes dark but her face was set in a determined expression. It made him want to dive into her again.

He leaned forward but Katie kept her hand pressed to his shoulder, "Just- just wait. Okay?"

Sirius leaned back again, "Something wrong?"

"No!" she said too quickly and closed her eyes briefly in embarrassment at his amused chuckle. She took another deep breath through her nose. Try again Prewett. "I just- um, that is, I mean, _we_ need to talk about something before anymore of...this."

She gestured vaguely between them and his eyebrows lifted curiously.

"This? As in you snogging me to death?" he inquired innocently. He shifted his hips purposely beneath her and she nearly moaned out loud when she could _feel_ him underneath her own hips. She may have gone about this the wrong way.

"Can we, um, not do this with me on top of you?" she asked weakly.

He grinned, "Why not then? I like you on top of me and I think you do too."

"That's the problem though, you see," she tried for a third time but willingly slid forward when he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer and prove his point.

"See," he said softly and his grin had become an evil smirk. He started pressing feather light kisses against her collarbone with the angle this new position had afforded them.

"Sirius," she caught her breath when his teeth grazed a particularly sensitive spot.

"Mmm?" he asked, his mouth still on her.

"I'm trying to _talk_ to you about something," she huffed in frustration and he laughed against her skin.

He leaned back again, releasing her just enough so that she couldn't escape, and looked at her expectantly, "So talk."

Feeling much less in control than she hoped she would have been at this point, she gave it up and settled a bit more into his lap, running her fingers through her hair as she tried to decide where to begin.

"So," she began. "If we're going to do this. I have rules."

"Rules," Sirius repeated and groaned. "Leave it to you to make this complicated, Prewett."

"Would you stop talking?" she snapped and found herself playing with the hem of his shirt as she struggled with the courage to propose what she intended. "I think you're going to want to hear my offer."

When he gave her a resigned look and remained silent, she decided just to dive in.

"I suppose, it's really only one rule," she said, meeting his eyes. "I don't want a relationship."

He frowned, "What sort of rubbish are you on about?"

"It's not rubbish," she insisted and crossed her arms. "I will snog you. Perhaps more if you behave. But I am not going to date you. Is that clear?"

To her utter frustration and despair, the boy didn't react. At all.

He simply sat there for a moment studying her like she was something he didn't quite understand.

"Well?" she prompted. "Do we have a deal?"

He held up a finger, "Let me just make sure I understand first. You want to do this. With me. But you don't want me to be your boyfriend. Furthermore, you are also suggesting that it could potentially become a friends with benefits situation long term but without obligation."

She nodded, "That's what I'm proposing. Yes."

He gave her a calculating look like he didn't buy it, "Are we allowed to see other people during this, ah, arrangement?"

It hadn't honestly occurred to her that either of them would want that. She couldn't decide if it bothered her or not that he _was_ thinking about it.

She frowned, "I guess that's up to you. I can't imagine having the energy to juggle multiple blokes."

To her surprise, he laughed.

"Fucking hell, Prewett," he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "You're something else."

"Is that a no?" she asked and her stomach dropped just a little.

He shook his head, "I'd have to be mad to turn down an offer like that."

"So you agree," she said and a smile started to spread slowly across her lips.

He nodded his head but his expression changed just enough for her to see that he was still thinking, still trying to work it out in his head. Without warning, he reached forward and pulled her forward to sit against his chest. His look was softer than she was used to, "How does it end then?"

"It ends when we get tired of each other," she replied simply and was surprised that the thought twisted with an ache in her gut.

Oh baby, he thought sympathetically. Because he could practically hear the words she hadn't spoken. The ones that told him she honestly believed she wasn't good enough for someone to _not_ get tired of her.

While he wasn't sure he could have given her a relationship regardless of this ridiculous deal, he did want to see her believe someone could want her. And Merlin help him, _he_ wanted her.

So finally he nodded, "Alright, Prewett. We'll do it your way. Just don't fall in love with me."

Katie snorted and rolled her eyes, "Fat chance of that, Starboy."

He growled affectionately and pulled her down into another heated kiss.

She accepted it willingly, the relief from knowing that there were no expectations attached slightly more appealing than she thought it would be.

When it started to heat up, she forced herself to pull away despite his protests.

"You have a detention to finish," she pointed out but placed one last quick kiss on his lips.

"You're going to kill me, woman," he sighed but finally released her legs so that she could climb off his lap. He gave her a mischievous look while she started putting her clothes to rights, "Will I see you after?"

She smirked, "Maybe in the morning."

"I'm not going to get any sleep," he groaned in protest. "Have mercy on me, Prewett."

"What fun would that be?" she laughed and he enjoyed seeing a hint of the natural, relaxed girl she'd been during their lessons. She grinned as he stood, "I don't want you to get tired of me too quickly. I kind of like the idea of having a friend with benefits."

He reached out to grab her waist and pull him up against her one last time for good measure and pressed his mouth to her ear, "It's going to take a lot for me to get tired of you."

It was a simple statement but it instantly filled her with warmth. There was something to be said about a simple, physical attraction between two people.

"Hey now," she laughed softly and extracted herself from his arms when his hands started to drop lower. "None of that. Get back to work."

"Oof. You're brutal, love," he sighed but tucked his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to touch again.

"You'll live," she promised him and grinned over her shoulder as she headed out of the Trophy Room. "I have study session in the library after breakfast but then I'm free tomorrow. Don't be a stranger."

And just like that she was gone, leaving Sirius feeling amused, abused, and wanting in the best way.

Friends with benefits, he mused as he turned to climb back up the step ladder. With Katie Prewett. What was the world coming to?

* * *

xxASiriusObsession


End file.
